Semi Solid
by Venere Veritas
Summary: Green and White looks lovely and pure; but underneath lies stress, secrets, and possible pain. Green and Blue seem too solid and strange; but mixed together you get familiarity, security, and the color of the ocean. AU SanZo and some MiZo
1. Chapter 1

Edited 6-20-13

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><p>-Prologue-<p>

With Colors

The sky was blue. It had always been blue and always will remain blue, at least to everyone else it would be. However, to Zoro the letter "K" was a light orange. So, even though the sky was blue, only "S" and "Y" were a shade of blue.

And the word "blue" only complicated things more…

He never really noticed that he viewed the world differently than others. In fact, it wasn't until his first year in high school, while having a conversation with Luffy and Usopp, did he realize there was something unusual about him. When he explained to Luffy that the only reason he knew what certain words meant was because he was able to memorize the patterns and colors each unique word had, and both Luffy and Usopp looked at him like he was insane…eventually one thing lead to another and he soon realized that he was very different from his friends.

And not just his friends. After talking with a few other friends, his parents, and eventually a doctor; Zoro soon discovered that he was born with a rare condition.

Synesthesia. Zoro saw words, numbers, and _people_ in colors.

_"Synesthesia?" Zoro had asked his physician. He had never heard of such a word. The word stuck in his mind and flowed with a mixture of colors, all of them becoming the pattern of a rainbow. It was pretty ironic._

_"Yes." He had been told. "You're healthy."_

_There had been no tests during his trip. He had merely discussed what he had seen and felt. His doctor just stared for a few moments, nodding his head, left for a few moments, did the usual check-up, and then diagnosed Zoro with the condition, handing him a thin pamphlet consisting mostly of pictures and hardly any new information.  
><em>

_"What is it?" Zoro had asked soon after. What little he was given offered nothing new. You can taste words? See music? It sounded like a broken brain. He didn't understand how he could have a condition and still be considered healthy._

_"Nothing to worry about," his doctor muttered while typing away at his computer. "Your senses merely function differently than other people. Other people have it. It doesn't negatively affect your way of life. Nothing else I can really say…there's still a lot we don't know about it."_

_"Absolutely nothing?" Zoro asked._

_His doctor broke away from the computer screen and glanced over at Zoro._

_"It's hereditary," he answered with a shrug._

It was actually quite an interesting experience to learn about the name he had been given. Zoro couldn't connect with it until looking it up, and learning what it meant. And suddenly, after finding out that it made real sense of his life, a little light bulb clicked in his head. He was, in fact, healthy and had Synesthesia.

It was a peculiar sensation to find out that he was different, and would experience things differently than other people. At first Zoro felt left out and almost alien compared to everyone else around him. He had spent years believing that touching a person and getting a vivid image of a particular color was something normal, that "A" was red and so was the number 8. But upon realizing that he did have this ability, Zoro understood that he could live a life with an amazing advantage to see beyond simple number and letters. Soon the confusion was eradicated from his mind and replaced with that calm knowledge that he was actually well off. He was better than well off. He would feel things that no one else could, experience sensations that no one could imagine. Nothing had changed since before learning about his condition, other than the fact that it had a name. Nobody considered his abilities to be a birth defect, and he would still live a very regular life. There was really no discovery in the end.

After this Zoro went on with his life, which was still regular as ever. When he wrote he saw an array of different colors, and when he read he could see the style of the author through a disorganized pattern of rainbows. He could solve math problems with the bright colors that directed him to the next step. This was nothing unusual. Luffy groaned watching him solve complicated matters in a short amount of time. Usopp would look deep into his etes and try to spot something different, always disappointed to see nothing past normal healthy irises.

And there were names to these abilities of his; Color and Number Form Synesthesia. His ability to connect words with colors was actually quite common amongst those who had Synesthesia. Number Form was less common, with maybe a dozen or so knowing of their unusual ability.

There was no name for the last one though. There were cases, and Zoro had looked them up, but there wasn't a clear name for the sense of touch and color…for _people_.

Luffy was a strong bold red. That's who Luffy was, and that's the color he had been when Zoro first met the boy. Even before Zoro knew Luffy he already knew his personality based upon that shade of red. With a simple touch Zoro knew who he was talking to, who he was surrounded by. Blindfolded, Zoro could recognize his friends simply by coming into contact with them. Everyone was a color, and the shade was the determining factor of who they were. He knew a person before they introduced themselves.

And there was no name for it.

_"I wonder why?" Zoro had asked Luffy while on the way to class. Luffy, Nami and he were all in the crowded hallways when the discussion was brought up. It had been almost a month since Zoro learned about that colorful word called Synesthesia._

_"Maybe because you're the only one with it?" Luffy explained._

_"No, I know I'm not," Zoro said, shaking his head. He couldn't be the only person in the world with this. Someone else had to understand what this was, how everyone stood out. It must have raised questions. But then, he never really wondered why he could see the colors of a person before...  
><em>

_"Maybe it's because it creates a bias," Nami said cautiously._

_"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked in disbelief. "Zoro isn't biased. Zoro's cool."_

_"How would you know?" Nami asked. He then turned to Zoro and faced him. "Tell me, Zoro, don't you have colors that you favor over others?"_

_"Everyone has a favorite color, Nami," Luffy butted in before giving Zoro a chance to speak._

_"Yes and Zoro can see the colors of people," Nami said. "He says he knows who they are before they even talk about themselves. Basically, they don't even have to bother introducing themselves to him. All he has to do is bump into them and he can decide whether he wants to make friend or not."_

_"And your point?" Zoro then asked. He could hear the defensive, almost threatened tone coming from his own voice.  
><em>

_"Would you ever hang around a person who had a color you deemed unappealing?" she said._

Years later Zoro still couldn't come up with an answer. Luffy had backed him by saying that Zoro would never let something to small and insignificant affect his decision making skills, but Zoro knew better than that.

Because those colors were what he based his decisions around. It's what he based his life around. He learned how to add and subtract that way, had learned to read and write that way, and he learned how to make friends that way as well. Before it was a subconscious act: it was his way of being normal. But knowing it was something else, Zoro understood that he would have to be aware of himself whenever he did meet someone knew, otherwise he's be no better than the average bigot. It sounded awful, but Zoro wasn't sure whether he could be with someone if they had a "bad color".

Eventually the conversation was dropped, and life went on for Zoro.

It was normal as could be, but that question did pop up in his mind once in a while. Soon he moved up a grade and opportunities to make and lose friends came and went. Zoro never thought much of it while he acted, but after everything was said and done he would wonder if he did what he did based upon his abilities. Did he refuse to go out when someone asked him out on a date because their color was too obnoxious or dull? Did he considered Luffy someone to look up to because he was such a solid red?

Unsurprisingly; the answer came in the form of a yes. Y-E-S. A nasty looking pattern.

No color seemed good enough when it came to love. Not until the beginning of Zoro's senior year did he stumble upon someone that actually brought his heart to a standstill.

And that was a man who lacked a color.

White was the absence of color, and perhaps it was this that made Zoro so infatuated with Mihawk. He had read up on the man and already knew that he was a powerful swordsman. He didn't know much aside from that, though there were rumors that the man had some ties with the government, other rumors tying him to gangs, drugs, and what have you.

Zoro had made it to the final round of a tournament. Not yet seventeen, he couldn't face the man with real swords; but the honor of actually facing him was more than enough for Zoro. Or, it had been. That brief touch of skin and an empty image of blankness; pure white as freshly fallen snow, and Zoro had forgotten he was fighting and what he was fighting for. It was calming, fresh, new, clean, and beautiful.

Mihawk didn't bother saying a word, nor a glance, as he left him on the floor, nearly unconscious.

Zoro didn't care.

The two were ages apart, and they were just so different from one another, but Zoro wanted nothing more than to get closer to the anomaly. Even though he was under aged and aware of the risks Zoro did everything in his power to get closer to him; trying to get the older man to notice him. He keep an eye on the man, entering more tournaments and practicing harder so that he could make the ranks and hopefully rematch Mihawk, one day with real swords. He worried over whether the man would misread his signs, whether he would think Zoro was only trying to get money or trick him. He did everything he could to make a stranger become something more.

Several months of hard work did not go to waste.

Now seventeen, and still unsure about the reason behind what he was had just done, green and white mixed together in a beautiful swirl and Zoro was sure had to be love. Only when they were connected did things make sense to Zoro. He didn't see white when he clung to Mihawk; only two lovely golden eyes staring down at him. Gold like the letter "I". Suddenly he knew what it was like to lack that ability as his mind raced deeper into obscurity; his body heating up as pleasure and pain intermixed like the two colors they shared. A night full of powerful sex and Zoro knew he was in love. Sometime after _everything_ Zoro realized that he had been somewhat biased when deciding that no one was good enough for him except for Mihawk. But then, at the very same time he believed that this bias had to be a good thing. Only certain personalities worked well together; the same could be said for colors. Zoro knew right away who he could get along with, and although some would call that an unfair advantage Zoro saw it as less pain for him to deal with. He could spend the rest of his night as ease with this wonderful epiphany.

And so three years came to pass with Zoro making decisions the way he had always; only with slightly more knowledge than before. But wasn't that the usual case anyways? He graduated from school, got a job, spent his days training in order to become stronger in an attempt to defeat that most powerful rival, and spent his night being beaten and loved by that rival. Everything was still full of color, and over time Zoro forgot that he was different and those colors become the usual sense that had guided him.

Life was decent. Life was hard. Life pulled him in to trouble.

But at least it didn't lie to him.

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><p>And there's your prolog. Like it or hate it? Anything needed to be added or taken away? Tell me in a review or PM and I'll be very grateful :)<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Edited 6-20-13

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><p>-Meeting Blue-<p>

And they all live happily ever after.

Of course things were never that simple. Once Zoro got out of school he found himself struggling with what to do next. He wasn't all too eager to go to college, not really knowing what he excelled in or what he'd try to major in. the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if he was even college material. Mihawk seemed to think so. He had offered a great deal of financial aid, his way of hinting that continuing an education was supposed to be desired. Zoro declined. He figured over time he'd know what to do with himself. There was nothing wrong with waiting. And by this point Zoro had an idea of the work Mihawk did, and though he never said anything, he was pretty confident in himself that it was laundered. The money.

Jobs were a problem as well. Bless the beloved economy, Zoro found it rather hard to find a way to make a living. He appreciated his parents sending him cash, but wanted desperately to make it on his own. He didn't care if it meant living on a diet of cheap add-water-and-heat noodles: Zoro wanted to be independent. It wasn't like he could simply move in with Mihawk. The man wouldn't allow it, and Zoro didn't want it as well. Another problem that Zoro dare not bring up was asking Mihawk to get him a job. He knew working under the man meant great money, though illegal means… Just thinking about it brought fear to Zoro as he imagined Mihawk's very distressed and angered expression.

Eventually Zoro learned to settle with what he had. He eventually did get a job, and eventually Luffy graduated from school, giving Zoro a real chance at getting a place. Luffy was only too eager to free himself from his strict, conservative grandfather's household and put in his share for a place for them to share as roomies. They managed to find a small apartment to call theirs. It was dingy, there were cracks, and the water heater had a tendency to not work. They fucking loved thier apartment.

No, not exactly happily ever after, but it was more than Zoro could ever ask for. He had his home, his means of making money, his lover, and his own life. It wasn't perfect: it was normal.

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><p>It was the end of May, and the weather had finally begun to heat up when the door creaked open. Zoro didn't break his eyes away as he heard sandals clapping closer to him.<p>

"Nami's coming back from college," Luffy said while walking into the small one bedroom apartment that he and Zoro shared. A huge grin could be spotted on the boy's face; signifying that something was up. "I can't wait. We'll spend the whole summer as a group again!"

Zoro had been lying on the couch, his eyes glued to the television as he watched the news.

Both Nami and Usopp had decided to extend their education. While Luffy and Zoro spent their days having fun or working, their two friends were actually learning something "of value." Whatever "value" meant. What did Nami major in again? Business? Economics? Whatever it was, Nami had been accepted out of state, in the northern east coast, which meant the weekends were without that smooth, bright color of sweet, orangey citrus.

"Zoro, you think there will be a huge party?" Luffy asked, now standing in front of Zoro and blocking his view. "Nami did say there would be a get together tomorrow night."

"Hopefully not," Zoro muttered, easing his head forward as he tried to look past the younger.

The idea of being surrounded by a large group of people bothered Zoro. He didn't like the constant physical contact as it made his head spin. Everybody rubbed against each other at big parties, and they couldn't help it as they were usually drunk, high, or in need of attention. Zoro didn't mind having fun; but if it meant consistent touching and grabbing; then he'd rather not get involved. Luffy's nineteenth birthday went from fun to a pain in a matter of too many guests. Nothing could save the night from the blinding array of mixed spurt of colors that would phase in and out of Zoro's mind. Too much touching was light a flash of different colors; all of them mixing and popping into his head before he had time to see who had brought it up. Add that along with loud music, loud people, alcohol and other things; it made for a long night.

"Don't be such a party pooper," Luffy said, pouting.

"You know how I get in large crowds," Zoro persisted. He actually scowled at Luffy, showing his true disdain for the news that had been brought to him.

Luffy nod his head slowly, understanding what the older was feeling.

"We'll leave early if it gets too crowded," Luffy suggested, sitting himself at the edge of the couch. "That way we can meet up with Nami, have fun, and leave before you get too uncomfortable."

Good ol' Luffy. He always seemed to know how Zoro ticked. Even though it got in the way, Luffy would do what he had to in order to make things work out for the two of them. Not too many people had a real best friend. Zoro did though. He could tell Luffy things that he would never tell a soul. But Zoro would be lying if he said he told Luffy everything.

"We haven't seen her since her winter break," Zoro muttered. He still was trying to see what the breaking news had been about. He never liked breaking news. He was always afraid he would see a familiar face.

"Yeah!" Luffy chimed excitedly. He got up from his seat and hurried over to the hallways. "I'll send her a text and find out what's going on."

"You do that." Zoro sat himself up on the couch. Morning was ending and it was getting hotter by the minute. Lying on the couch was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as Zoro tried to keep himself from sweating all over their used furniture.

"I can't wait for her to finally arrive," Zoro heard Luffy say. The boy ran into their small room where the two of them slept (in bunk beds of course) and proceeded to reach the girl with his phone.

Zoro continued to watch the same station, his eyes widening as he saw the headline flash in front of him;

Crocodile arrested for extortion.

It was a name he knew; though not it had finally happened. Zoro didn't have to read or listen to the rest of the broadcast to figure how the next few weeks would play out. The only reason he knew that name was because Mihawk had made him memorize these names of people he didn't know, but for some reason had to know because of how they played in his relationship. Already Zoro was loathing what he had seen, knowing it would directly affect him.

He would have to call Mihawk-

"Zoro!"

Zoro broke away from the news, turning his attention to Luffy's voice. He no longer wanted to hear what was going on in the world, not when half of his was ruined.

"What?" Zoro yelled. He didn't have to fake his annoyance.

Luffy ran out of the hall, his face beaming with joy.

"Nami said she'd be back home by five!" Luffy laughed and wrapped an arm over Zoro's shoulder. "We'll get to see her tonight!"

"Tonight?" Zoro asked. He wasn't too excited to hear this.

"Yeah," Luffy went on. "Nami managed to get a ride today and she should be back before you know it!"

"She's on her way now?

"Isn't it great?" Luffy said, not noticing Zoro's discomfort. "She said she's bringing some friends over. We can all hang out tonight!"

"Hmm."

"Something wrong?" Luffy asked, finally taking notice in Zoro's worry.

Zoro made a quick glance over at the television, seeing that the announcement was gone. There was nothing he could really say to Luffy, not without putting himself into trouble.

It wasn't as though he didn't want to meet new people. Today was a bad day.

"No, just tired," he answered, sitting himself up and making his way over to the fridge. "I think Nami may be a bit tired once she gets back," he hurriedly added as he grabbed himself a beer. "Maybe you should tell her to take a rest and we can meet up tomorrow."

"Nami seemed really up to it though," Luffy said.

Of course she did. That's who she was. Sly, smooth, and always full of bright energy. Nami wouldn't mind not sleeping for the next twenty four hours if it meant fun and all that nonsense. She loved parties. She loved getting people drunk. She loved betting with those poor, defenseless drunks and winning at games, taking their precious money away.

"Right," he muttered. He couldn't think of much else to say.

"Zoro, are you ok?"

Zoro turned and faced Luffy, seeing the now worried expression on the young man's face.

There was only so much he could tell Luffy. He knew about Mihawk, about how long the two have been together, but he didn't know much past that. Although Luffy never said anything Zoro could tell Luffy wondered about how well the relationship was and whether it could work out. After all, it started with a seventeen year old flirting with a nearly forty year old...with the forty year old reciprocating. Who wouldn't find it odd? But Luffy couldn't see the how well they blended together; he couldn't see the way their colors matched. Zoro could never mention why the bulletin from the news station bothered him so much. It would only make Luffy go against their relationship.

"Just tired," he lied. He took a sip from his can and stared casually at Luffy. He didn't want Luffy to feel as though there shouldn't be a party, even though Zoro wanted nothing to do with it. He hated being the spoiled sport just as much as the average fellow. But in-between all the physical contact to come, as well as the worry over his lover; he was anything but in the mood to have fun.

Luffy backed off though, taking Zoro's word for it and walking back over to the living room. Zoro could hear the change of sounds from the television telling him that Luffy had distracted himself with something else. He breathed a sigh of relief and decided to make a run to his room. He'd call Mihawk now and figure out how much the man knew and what steps would be taken in order to keep himself and his lover out of trouble.

Once in his room Zoro pulled his cell from the charger and went through his lists of contacts, stopping at the familiar name.

Juraquille Mihawk. Just looking at it brought a comforting sensation to Zoro's state of mind. Even though he was a criminal, even though nobody really supported his relationship with him, even though being together brought a mess of trouble and disaster: Zoro wouldn't never have it any other way. That stark white was actually calm and peaceful and although many considered white to be absence, Zoro saw it as more full than anything else in the world.

It didn't matter if he was wrong; Mihawk was still beautiful. There was magenta, red, peach, black, and other colors that mixed together in an exotic display. Past white there were so many other colors, and there was so much more to the man than what others knew.

"Come on, pick up," Zoro murmured between his lips. He knew he couldn't be too surprised if Mihawk didn't answer him. Zoro hadn't the slightest clue what was really going on, and Mihawk could be doing anything at the moment. He could get in trouble if he answered his phone at the wrong time.

Zoro made several more attempt to reach the older man before deciding to just wait it out. He wasn't allowed to leave messages; so he was stuck wondering until Mihawk went ahead and called him. Zoro tossed his phone on the bottom bunk and groaned to himself.

The party, should there be one; would be quite long and tedious. All he could do was worry. He didn't want to be surrounded by everyone when he was already so tense.

Hopefully Nami only brought a few people.

* * *

><p>Nami's home was a small little house located at the very end of an even smaller neighborhood. It was cramped inside, and the air conditioner didn't work too well; but seeing the old house with peeling paint was something Zoro couldn't help but miss.<p>

"Hello, boys," Nojiko said whilst lighting her cigarette. She smiled as both Luffy and Zoro made their way into the small house. "You're just in time," she said with a warm smile. "Nami and the others are out back now."

It was barely nine at night. Nami had called less than an hour ago demanding that both Zoro and Luffy hurry over. She wanted a "little get together" amongst friends. It didn't seem like too much. Zoro had stressed over a cell phone for the whole day, and a small group of people drinking and talking didn't seem too bad by this point. In fact it was almost tempting to go ahead and get buzzed just so he could forget about his current worries.

"Sweet!" Luffy said, already running out to the small backyard. Zoro didn't have much time to react as Luffy disappeared from his sight.

"Could you do me a favor?"

Zoro turned and faced Nami's older sister.

"Yes?"

She handed him a bag full of what looked like empty bottles of alcohol.

"Take these out back and put them in the blue dispenser," she asked, smiling casually at Zoro. "I'd go out there myself, but I already smell vomit."

Zoro took the bag, his hand gracing against hers as he took the bag full of bottles and cans. He could see the back drop of a pale grey, a color that he wasn't too fond of. It wasn't a strong enough color. Passive. It looked unappealing and it didn't mix well with green.

"I'll be sure to watch my step then," Zoro replied as he made his way out back.

"You do that," she answered. "And keep an eye out; make sure the boys don't get too rough."

"I will," Zoro said.

There was nothing wrong with Nojiko, as far as Zoro knew. But he never really bothered trying to know her. She clashed. Most grays clashed with him. It really wasn't her fault.

Zoro took a step outside; grateful to feel a faint breeze hit him as he saw the scene take place in front of him.

There weren't too many people. By god, Nami was actually telling the truth. Or something close to it.

Zoro immediately recognized Usopp and Kaya together, both of them huddled together as they nervously surveyed a wasted Ace playing beer pong with a just as bad Marco. Conis and Camie were talking to one another, both of them looking sober enough and giving a glance over at Ace and Marco's game. Luffy was all over Nami, who were with three people he had never seen before. Those must have been the friends she was talking about.

And as if Nami had read his min, Zoro heard her calling him over.

"Zoro, over here!" she called. "Drop the bag and get over here!"

"Come on Zoro," Luffy chimed in.

Zoro looked down at the bag in dismay and let his grasp over the plastic bag go. God willing Ace would not trip over the bag. He walked over to the small group, giving a sigh and hoping not everyone there was drunk and in a touchy mood.

"Guys," Nami said, suddenly grabbing on to Zoro's arm and pulling him in, "This is Zoro. He's the one into swords. We talked about him before, remember?"

"Nami-" Zoro was cut off with Nami's hand covering him.

"He can see stuff in colors," Nami said.

"Oh, so that's the one," the tanned male said with a smirk.

"Hello," the girl with the ponytail said with a bright smile. "I'm Vivi." She stood right next to a tanned you man. Her hand was holding on to his.

"Uhm, Hi," Zoro said, smiling back at her. He made a glance over at Nami.

"These two are Kohza and Sanji," Nami said, pointing at the two men that were standing next to Luffy. "We all took a class together…what was it?" she smiled and shrugged. "I can't remember?"

"Anthropology," The one called Kohza said.

"Gawd, I can't believe that asshole gave me a C!" Nami said, her body leaning clumsily against Zoro.

"Nami, I think you had a little too much to drink," the blonde one said. He was Sanji.

And as soon as the blonde had mentioned it, Zoro couldn't help but notice that Nami was a little tipsy. He couldn't believe he had noticed until now. He made a quick glance at the blonde, then back at Nami.

"What do you mean?" Nami said, startled. He grabbed on harder to Zoro's arm, practically contrasting it in her grasp. "We just started."

"I know," Vivi said. She seemed worried as well.

"Nami, how much did you drink?" Luffy asked. He crossed his arms and frowned at the girl. "You shouldn't drink too much or we won't be able to do anything tomorrow."

"Whatever," Nami said. "It's going to be a long summer anyways."

"Nami dear, you want me to make you something to help?" Sanji asked. Zoro stared at him for a few seconds and figured the two had to be going out. Strange, Nami didn't ever mention a boyfriend in any of her texts or emails. The two must have gotten together just recently.

"Don't worry about me guys," Nami said. "All of you leave me alone and talk to each other." she turned to Vivi. "Vivi, come with me to my room for a few moments, please?"

"Of course," Vivi said politely. He let go of Kohza's hand and placed her cup on a table.

Zoro watched the two walk off, Marco and Ace making asses of themselves as they caught sight of the girls and began whistling like idiots.

"So?"

Zoro turned and face the two strangers.

"You guys went to school with Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Well, just Vivi and I," Kohza said. "We all shared a class together."

"Oh, ok," Luffy said, nodding his head.

"What about you?" Zoro asked Sanji.

"We met under strange circumstances," the blonde said with a laugh.

"I can only imagine," Zoro replied, smiling at the blonde. "Nami has an interesting way of making friends."

Sanji chuckled, smiling back at Zoro.

Zoro stared right into the blonde's exposed blue eye, feeling his heart race a bit and that strange awkward feeling grow inside of him. The man was actually quite…attractive. His messy blonde hair, ending in small curls, and his ocean blue eyes, one hidden behind a curtain of that very soft looking hair. And those thin, pink lips. Nami knew how to pick them. Zoro blinked, then realizing that he was letting his mind go into dangerous waters. He wasn't sure what had happened during those few seconds of staring, but Zoro quickly took control and broke eye contact, making sure he wasn't caught staring at the man too long, assuming Sanji hadn't already noticed.

"Here," Sanji said suddenly.

"What?" Zoro asked, his voice stuttering just a little. He must have noticed. He must have blushed. Must have made a face.

"Let me get you something to drink." Sanji pointed over at the table near the side of the house. "You haven't had anything yet, right?"

"Oh, well, no," Zoro answered. His face cooled down and that fluttery feeling was now long gone. Sanji nod and took a few steps over to the table full of mixed beverages and paused, turning and facing Zoro. "Strong?"

"Of course," Kohza said with a laugh. "Nobody wants your fruity drinks."

"The girls love them," Sanji said proudly.

"He's not a girl though."

"I'll have one," Luffy said, excitedly. "Something really tasty!"

"You like them appletinies?" Kohza laughed.

"If it tastes good, why not?" Luffy smiled. "It'll get me drunk either way, might has well enjoy the taste while I'm at it!"

Zoro just stared, his mind blank as he continued to stare at Sanji.

"Well?"

"Oh, uhm, whatever is cool," Zoro answered. He then added, "Give me something you made."

"Righto," he heard Sanji say. Zoro watched the slim blonde walk off, leaving him along with Luffy and Kohza. He couldn't believe he had acted so…weird. Sure, Zoro had come across some attractive people, but it wasn't like he went gaga over them. He wasn't some prepubescent child. He was supposed to have better control. He surely didn't want people to see him stutter or look away with a red face; afraid that he'd be caught blushing at Nami's new boyfriend.

"So, you can see words and numbers in colors?" Kohza asked. "Nami mentioned that a few times…there was a word for it."

"Synesthesia," Zoro answered.

"Zoro senses are connected," Luffy said, smiling at Zoro. "Zoro's so lucky."

"How's it work?" Kohza asked.

Zoro thought about it for a few seconds, trying to find a way to best explain his condition. He really didn't know too much about biology, let alone how his brain worked in translating words with colors. And it was so hard trying to explain something so natural to him to someone who had never experienced it before.

"It's just…" Zoro started, trying to think of an easy way to describe it. "When I write a letter down, I already know what the letter and word will be because of the colors they produce. I know I'm spelling my name, but I don't really think about my name being spelled till I see the colors…"

"I don't think about my name at all when I write it out," Kohza said.

"That's because it's all the same to us," Luffy said. "Zoro got to memorize words and numbers with colors. That's much more exciting."

"I guess," Kohza said.

"It's hard to explain it to someone who doesn't have it," Zoro said. He wondered, what color was Sanji? Should he find out? No, not tonight. He couldn't forget what had happened earlier.

"It probably is," Kohza said. He then looked off to the side and smiled. "Hey, Sanji, what did you bring them?"

Zoro looked over and saw the blonde walking back with two cups in his hands.

"Something of mine," Sanji said. "I mixed some of that vodka you brought though. It has a stronger taste." Sanji offered the cup to Luffy and Zoro. "Hopefully it's to your liking," he said at the two. The smile on his face made Zoro double take.

"Everything you make is good," Kohza said.

Zoro took the cup, managing not to touch Sanji's long, slender fingers. He forced his eyes away from the other man, keeping his gaze down at the bright colored concoction that was in the cup. He could smell something sweet behind the strong alcoholic scent. Zoro went ahead and took a sip, tasting the tangy mixture and finding that it really wasn't all the bad. It was actually pretty good...for a girl's drink.

"Hey, Zoro!"

Zoro turned and saw a very groggy looking Ace stumble over.

"Hey, Hey," Ace said, grabbing on to Zoro and pointing over to the table where a bunch of cups were carefully placed. Red. Deeper than Luffy's. Stronger than Luffy's. More sure of itself . "Marco, he's… ah, killing me and I need you to play with me and beat him." Ace then looked over at his brother and smiled goofily at him. "Hey, Luffy."

"I don't know," Zoro said. "I really don't-"

"You don't think I'm going to lose, do you?" Ace questioned. His eyes went wide with panic. But he then turned to his brother, producing the same silly smile as before. "Aw, Luffy, you should play with us. You can be on Marco's team!" That worry and panic was gone; just like that.

"Cool," Luffy said, somehow not taking notice in his brother's inability to stand straight.

"Yeah," Ace said, then pointing at Sanji and Kohza, "and you guys can play next round-after Zoro and I beat them!"

Zoro knew right away he was going to lose. Ace was very competitive, and he was a lousy player when he was drunk. And Ace loved to drink. Which meant Zoro was going to be spending most of his time drinking while Ace ran around trying to catch a ping-pong ball and making an idiot of himself.

And Zoro was still waiting on that call. Why hadn't Mihawk called him yet?

Ace dragged Zoro and the others over to the long table with a row of cups on each end of the table. He sighed, staring at the ten cups that were placed on his and Ace's side. Nami was back outside, with Vivi and the other girls, watching in anticipation. Nami had her iphone with her, aimed at table. Great.

He didn't think much about losing as much as he thought about not getting that call. It reminded him how stressful of a relationship he had. Zoro wished he could call and leave a message. It bothered him so much as he continued to anxiously wait.

"Dammit!" Zoro heard Ace whine.

"Zoro, drink," Marco's voice demanded from the other side of the table.

Zoro took the drink and unconsciously began to down his beverage, almost choking on the plastic ping pong ball that he had forgotten to remove. He could hear people snicker and laugh, causing him to blush in anger. Zoro coughed, pulling the ping pong ball out of the cup and throwing across the table.

"Penalty!"

"Drink again!"

"What?" Ace whined.

"House rules," Nami said. "Just made it up."

Fuck. Zoro grabbed another cup and downed the cheap beer, not caring or remembering the rules to the stupid game that he really didn't feel like playing. He felt his chest heave in frustration and slammed the plastic empty cup on the table, his body suddenly feeling heavier than normal. He looked around, blinking a few times before his eyes were able to focusing the figures around him. He looked down at the table and stared at the cup he had left on the corner, the drink Sanji had given him. He picked it up and took another sip. So much better than cheap American beer.

"Zoro, go!"

Zoro picked up a ping-pong ball from another cup filled with water, about to make his throw before turning his head and spotting Sanji staring right at him. He could see a small pool of blue staring at him; just so inviting and beautiful. Underneath was that just as inviting smile; enticing him to come closer. He wasn't laughing though. Those arms were crossed; raised up high. He was waiting. Waiting for what?

To be impressed.

Zoro grinned. He was going to get drunk tonight, but he wasn't going to lose this game.

Suddenly Zoro forgot about that call that he had worried over almost all day. His mind cluttered around the idea of seeing how much he could get away with flirting with the blonde. Sanji had to at least be a little buzzed, and it wasn't like Nami would notice. He could probably get away with it.

Sanji grinned back almost as though he knew-and approved-of Zoro's plan.

Sanji. S-A-N-J-I.

The name was like a rainbow.

* * *

><p>Zoro felt his shirt being practically ripped off of him as he fell towards the bed. His pants were next; hands manically pulling them off of his hips, Zoro coming to the aid when he saw Sanji struggling with the legs. Once his legs were free and bare Sanji rested his face against Zoro's forehead, his lips brushing, tickling his skin while lowering and planting soft kisses across his cheeks, his hands resting on the rim of Zoro's boxers. Sanji's fingers began to penetrate the last remaining article of clothing, slowly removing Zoro's last defense, while Zoro himself began to struggle with the blonde's shirt, frantically attempting to unbutton his top while Sanji continued to kiss his neck. Once freed Zoro fell on his back, hearing the bed beneath him creak as a body began to make its way on top of him.<p>

Zoro stared up, his eyes looking up at two blue moons that seemed to stare right back at him. They were absolutely memorizing. Zoro couldn't break away as he felt himself getting sucked in; his body getting hotter as he felt soft and smooth fingers glide across his body in the most tormenting way imaginable. Hot demanding lips pressed against his. Hands wrapped around his weakening body.

Zoro couldn't think straight as his mouth opened and let in a dominating tongue, as those hands and fingers dug deeper inside of him, and that body on top of him crept closer and closer; that hot, muscular body all his to enjoy. Sanji rested his hands on Zoro's waist, his fingers stretching across Zoro's supple body. He continued to kiss Zoroon the lips once more, pulling away a brief moment before slightly lowering himself and kissing just his lower lip, nipping the tip lightly and earning a soft groan from Zoro. Sanji stared at Zoro's neck and licked his lips.

"Don't," he heard Zoro say.

Sanji moved in closer, "Why not?"

Zoro grabbed Sanji's face, bringing him even closer and forcing the blonde to see the gravity of the situation. "No hickey," he said.

"Fine," Sanji said, annoyed. "We'll do something else."

Sanji moved away, escaping Zoro's field of vision. Zoro attempted to lift himself up a bit, but felt a hand resting on his lower stomach, caressing but gently pushing him back down.

"Don't have a nice dick-sucking face?" Zoro asked with a chuckle.

"Actually, no," he heard Sanji answer. He felt a forefinger rub against the tip of his semi-erect penis, causing him to softly moan again. "That's really only half the reason though." Zoro gasped once he felt a tongue replace the finger, closing his eyes as Sanji took him in up to the hilt. He felt Sanji's tongue slide against his frenulum, stretching it and causing intense shocks of pleasure to run his erection. His hand cupped Zoro's testes, massing the sack gently and pressing them close against Zoro's manhood. Zoro continued moan, his back arching while he fought the urge to buckle his legs. Sanji let his free hand wander around Zoro's inner legs. He let his hand lightly brush against the skin, smirking (as best as he could) when he watched Zoro's twitch from the contact. When he could taste the salty warning of precum in his mouth he quickly let go of his grasp on Zoro, his hands grabbing hold of his muscular legs while he crawled his way back up and stared at the erotic figure below him. Zoro could only continue to stare up into blue; wondering what would await him next as he felt another new powerful sensation hit him. Every touch from Sanji made him shiver.

"You're not a virgin, are you?" That soft heavenly voice asked.

"Hell no!"

"You act like one." There was a light chuckle following, causing Zoro to blush an even deeper red than before. Sanji fumbled with his pants, freeing his erect manhood for Zoro to see. Zoro would have compared it to Mihawks, making note of it's shorter length and width, it's inability possible cause the same amount of pleasure and punishment...but Sanji had managed to impress (and amuse) him so far, and Zoro couldn't help but wonder what he'd make of it. He watched Sanji position himself and could feel Sanji's erection pressed against his entrance.

"Get on with it…" Zoro begged.

He could hear Sanji laugh playfully. More kisses, torturing him slowly.

"Stop it."

Zoro pulled the blonde up, staring him right in the eyes. The man smirked, grabbing Zoro's chin and forcing him into another rough kiss.

Sanji nuzzled his face against Zoro's, whispering into the other's ear, "don't like attention?"

"No."

Sanji laughed.

"Fuck," Zoro whined.

"You're not used to foreplay, are you?" Sanji chuckled. "You just want to do it, don't you?"

"Yes," Zoro answered desperately.

"Dry?" Sanji warned."What a masochist."

He hated be teased liked this. Mihawk never did this. Why'd the blonde have to drag this out? Zoro was just hungry for the hot sensation; not the slow touches and nips and kisses. He wasn't that romantic.

Fingers grazed across his lips. Zoro could see something blurry enter his mind, but the exact hue was hard to tell. It was getting harder to think by the minute. What color was it though? He could definitely see it behind that foggy curtain his drunken stupor had created.

"So hot." Zoro could now feel a sharp pain run up his back, followed quickly by an intense pleasure covering his body and pooling inside his stomach. Sanji continued to let his hands trace against Zoro's face, relishing in the ecstasy from the tight heat surrounding him.

"It's…blue."

"What?" Sanji's asked him.

"You," Zoro nearly gasped. "You're really, really blue."

Sanji stared at him; half confused and half humored. He broke out in laughter. As Zoro's body touched Sanji's he could make out the deep blue blur getting fuzzier and fuzzier. Even with this, the color was still strong. It was too strong. It didn't match at all.

"That's hilarious," the blonde said.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"No," Sanji replied. he rested his hands on the sheets, his hips pressing deep against Zoro: his manhood finding itself further inside of him. His lips were against Zoro's forehead once more. "You're adorable, you know that?" Before Zoro could protest Sanji finally began to start thrusting in and out of Zoro, stopping him from uttering anything aside from moans of pleasure and animal frenzy.

Zoro wanted to fight back. But he didn't want to think hard about the color, about him sleeping with someone aside from Mihawk, or about anything else. He grabbed on to Sanji, his arms holding on around the young man's frame.

It was a nice color.

* * *

><p>It was four in the morning. Zoro knew this because the first thing he awoke to was his cellphone going off and on; the loud ringing causing his head to practically split into two. He instinctively reached out for the source of the sound, not thinking much about him having to get out of bed and walk over to find his pants lying on the floor in order to answer said phone. He leaned against the bed, blinking several times as he tried to find out where he was, seeing that he wasn't in his and Luffy's room.<p>

How many hours of sleep had he achieved? Two? Perhaps. He couldn't remember much, and seeing that he was naked and tired as hell he could assume that he had given at least an hour of good sexual fun before passing out.

And speaking of alcohol; Zoro was still full of it. He disdainfully stared at his screen, his eyes squint in annoyance his head ached in fury from the bright light.

"What?" he grumbled into the phone, still looking around at his dark surroundings.

"Roronoa."

That stoic voice sent a shiver right up Zoro's spine and awoke him from his exhausted state. Whatever alcohol that still flowed in Zoro's veins had vanished when he suddenly remembered that there was a call he had been waiting for the previous day.

"Mihawk," Zoro stuttered into the phone. He sank into the bed as he felt a sense of relief hit him. Most people would be shitting bricks during a delicate time like this: but Zoro was pleased as hell.

Zoro did in fact know that there was another body sleeping in the bed. He knew he was naked for a reason. He knew he had played several games with Ace and friends and had gotten drunk. And, of course, there was that mildly sore feeling down in between his legs…

Obviously he had fucked.

"I've called you twice."

"I was passed out," Zoro answered. It was the honest to god truth. Or as close as he cold get it without admitting to Mihawk that he just finished screwing a few hours ago. Now was not the time to mention it, so hopefully Mihawk wouldn't bring it up.

"You need to come over as soon as you can," was Mihawk's' reply to this. Not asking why on earth he was passed out. The man went straight to the point. Thank goodness.

"Now?" Zoro asked in a half yawn.

"Preferably," Mihawk answered. "I'll be leaving tomorrow." Wait, what? "You'll have the rest of the day to decide when to come over."

"You're leaving?" Zoro asked, grabbing tightly to his phone. "What did I miss?" His voice shook as he tried to think of what horrors had come up while he got laid.

Why on earth was his lover in such a hurry to get out of town? Was there some sort of investigation going on? Had Mihawk been charged of some sort of crime? Zoro felt his skin turn pale. His heart rate sped up at the thought of losing Mihawk.

"Don't worry."

"What?" Zoro asked into the phone.

"I'll explain everything when you arrive," Mihawk said in a surprisingly reassuring tone.

Zoro gave a nod, not thinking much past that. He wanted to see Mihawk as soon as possible. He needed to see him as soon as possible. The man had sounded pretty calm; hopefully there would be a good explanation to what was going on. Mihawk had left him before, for short periods of time, maybe this would only be temporary. It wasn't like Mihawk did anything to attract attention. And he doubted anything bad could happen. Mihawk was precious. He was worth while. The government wouldn't go ahead and have him locked up just because that Crocodile went ahead and got caught for dong wrong. They'd perhaps punish one of them, maybe two at most; but Mihawk would be ok. Yes. He'd be ok.

"Be there in a few," Zoro replied. His voice was calmer and had gone back into tired mode.

The conversation had immediately ended right after he said those words. There was a small hint of hurt and guilt when he heard the click, but Zoro remembered that Mihawk was in a hurry and needed to leave soon. If Mihawk was in trouble then it was best that he kept to his word and arrived as soon as possible, preferably early in the day in order to get the full story of what was going on.

With that Zoro stood up, his body wobbling as he tried to shake the remains of alcohol out of his bloodstream so that he could locate the rest of his clothes. He hurriedly looked through the messy room, praying silently that whoever's room he had used had already looked that way before entry, as well as the small hope that the person sleeping in the bed would remain asleep.

He made a glance over at the bed, spotting the sleeping form within the messed up sheets and felt a frown grow on his face. If he and Nami were in fact together, which he now doubted, then this would definitely be the end of the relationship. By now Zoro had almost all his articles of clothing, save his socks. He wasn't sure he would find them though, not without turning on the light, and Zoro wouldn't risk that. Nevertheless Zoro felt an urge to get closer to the bed and stare at the curled up form, if only to remember what the two of them performed on each other.

Sanji.

A _blue_.

Zoro couldn't remember it all, but what he did recall made his face heat up and prickle from sheer excitement, and perhaps embarrassment. He was for the cuddling and kisses, but Zoro preferred the sex more than the foreplay, and he liked it rough and quick. A part of him that enjoyed the rough sensation over the gentle, and the masochist that got off of the pain that he would normally receive. Not to say that he didn't enjoy slow sex. Sanji had pulled that off rather well.

Zoro could remember those tricky hands, crawling and exploring his body in that taunting manner. It had felt so good, but Zoro hated every moment of it. He hated waiting for that moment where everything could finally begin. He wasn't used to it. Damn Sanji had to treat him that way. Zoro should have been the one to top the blonde.

He walked over to the side of the bed where the blonde slept. Zoro crouched down, his face staring at the sleeping blonde's. Sanji was handsome as ever, perhaps even more now that he was curled up in the bed, much like a kitten. His blonde hair was a mess; some of his curls were all over his face. It was actually quite adorable.

Zoro slowly let his hand rest on the blonde, letting his fingers of through thin strands of soft fine hair. Zoro could barely see in the dark, but the very clear image of deep blue filled his mind like a canvas. He could see it now. And it was a wonderful color. He had never seen a shade quite like it. It was calm, cool, soft…but at the same time it was solid and strong, and _very blue_. So much blue. Zoro could tell Sanji was a good person. There was something about the shade…he didn't know what it was though.

It was a real shame he wouldn't get to know Sanji better. The man would return home, along with Nami's other friends, because he had a whole summer to spend.

Zoro sighed, standing up and giving a final stretch before carefully walking over to the door. He let his hands quietly play with the lock before turning the knob and pulling the door open with as much ease as he could muster.

Blue was strong, but no color was without its flaws. Sanji was fun, but that was already in the past.

He had to go see Mihawk now.

* * *

><p>Comments, Criticism, and compliments would be loved!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Edited 6-21-13

* * *

><p>-His Morning After-<p>

It was five in the morning. Zoro was sure that his veins were still feeding his brain alcohol as he messily parked in front of the gate of his lover's current home. He looked around the neighborhood, seeing the fancy row of two story, perhaps three, houses lined up and looking exactly the same. Zoro never got this "sameness" suburban nightmare of a neighborhood. Mihawk had several places to call his own, but why did he pick this one of all places for them to meet up? His old, used car stuck out like terribly against the well kept family vans. He remembered that Mihawk had mentioned that owning property located in a "normal" neighborhood was least likely to raise suspicion, but after the recent news he figured it wouldn't do much good. Also, Zoro hated to think this was the only property that wasn't being bombarded by search forces, assuming that everything had escalated. This was, after all, where Mihawk and Shanks met up, and even though Shanks was one of the nicest men he had ever come to meet, he was still a drug dealer and up to no good. Zoro looked around the street to check and see if Shanks car was parked anywhere, wondering if its existence could lead to a possible answer to the situation at hand. There was no car. His was the only odd one out.

Zoro unlocked the hinge to the gate, making his way over to the front door and nearly jumping when he heard the gate behind him loudly clock. He noticed a dim light being produced from within; giving him hope that Mihawk was really there. He wasn't sure why he would think otherwise; he could only blame the stress of the day.

He pulled out his keys, trying to locate the right one for this door. He hadn't yet located the key when the door suddenly opened, light emitting from inside and a large shadow covering his form. Zoro squint his eyes, taking a step back as he looked up to the older man in front of him.

"Roronoa," Mihawk said, staring motionlessly at Zoro. "You're surprisingly early."

"I hurried over," Zoro said, looking deep into yellow eyes.

"Your breath reeks of alcohol."

"I'm not drunk," was all Zoro could say.

"You were."

"Awhile ago," Zoro answered solemnly.

"Will you be able to pay attention to everything I say now?" he asked. No questions about how he had gotten here. If he drove drunk or not. "Do you need to rest? From what I can see, you had a busy night."

Zoro felt his face heat up. He looked away from Mihawk, almost embarrassed to say.

"I need to know now," Zoro finally said.

Mihawk continued to quietly observe the younger man, finally inviting him in after an eternity of silence. It made Zoro feel all the more guilty for not mentioning what had occurred hours before. He made it a note to mention it right after Mihawk was done announcing his news.

"I take it you know why you're here," Mihawk said, walking into the dimly lit living room, Zoro right behind him. The only light came from the lamp in the corner. "You've called me several times yesterday."

"I was worried."

"How much have you learned?" Mihawk asked. "I doubt the media went deep into the story. It's still developing."

"Crocodile was arrested?" Zoro asked. "He did something?"

"It was a numerous amount of things," Mihawk said, sitting himself down on the couch. He folded his arms and shook his head, his eyes closed and his face tense.

"Aren't you given protection?" Zoro asked while sitting himself down next to Mihawk.

"He was planning some sort of takeover," Mihawk muttered.

"What?"

"Stealing money from businesses, using it in order to gain popularity by placing it in small interest groups," Mihawk said. "He was apparently doing the same for all the drugs he produces."

"I don't get it."

"He was planning a place in politics," Mihawk said. "And although we're not barred from attempting to do so, the government will do anything in its power to stop us from gaining too much, especially in Crocodile's unique case. The man's built himself a small empire followers. No one is going to let him make his way to the top. The government will allow us to get away with only so much before feeling threatened."

"So you're in trouble now?" Zoro asked.

"The assumption is that if one of us is up to no good; then there may be someone else doing the same."

"That's…"

"Very realistic," Mihawk answered. "I could easily be arrested for several counts for several different illegal activities." He leaned in forward and stared at Zoro. "You know that."

"Then you're screwed," Zoro muttered.

"No," Mihawk replied. "I won't be charged for anything that they already know unless they have enough reason to suspect that I may betray them. Anything they discover though; that's a different story."

"But you don't have anything to hide now, do you?" Zoro asked.

Mihawk quietly stared at Zoro; his look almost producing the answer to Zoro's question.

"Aside from me?"

The stoic man produced a small smile at gave a nod at Zoro.

"I just finished saying that I could be arrested for several different things," Mihawk answered.

"I know most of them though," Zoro said. "And if I know them, they must know them as well. You relationship with-"

Mihawk sighed, letting a hand cover half his face as he slowly shook his head. Zoro stopped and looked to the older man, feeling unsure about what he had just said. What else could Mihawk be hiding from him? Wasn't he old enough, trustworthy enough to be told everything?

"You know I have to leave you in the dark," Mihawk suddenly said. It was though he had read Zoro's mind. "I need to keep you safe. The less you know; the better off you are in case you're discovered."

"But you'll still get in trouble," Zoro said.

"With only what you provide them," Mihawk said. He looked all too serious.

How long had Mihawk thought this over? Surely he didn't believe that Zoro would betray him? He could never go against Mihawk. He'd lie if he had to; get himself incarcerated for lying in court just to prove Mihawk how much he cared for him. Zoro loved the man more than anything else in the world.

Zoro frowned," I'd never tell them." He felt his hands form into tight fists as he looked into Mihawk's two gold eyes. Wonderful golden eyes. "You can tell me anything."

Mihawk blinked his eyes moving just a little to the side.

"We all have our share of secrets that we prefer to keep," he said. He looked over at Zoro, his face still stoic. "Don't we, Roronoa?"

Zoro felt his face prickle red. He lowered his gaze, feeling a small stab of guilt, as well as confusion from Mihawk's comment. He was sure Mihawk didn't suspect anything, but it still caused him to feel wary. But if he did, then now was the time to go ahead and confess what he did with that Sanji fellow. Perhaps Mihawk would see that there were no secrets between them, and that he could be trusted. After all, this was not the first time Zoro slept around with other people. Mihawk had suggested that Zoro be more open since he had been a virgin before they got together, also because Mihawk was hardly around at some points. A man your age cannot expect to wait forever, he had said. Mihawk didn't want to hear about any success stories, for obvious reasons, but maybe talking about it would help strengthen the bond between the two.

"I was really wasted," Zoro admitted. "It happened."

He watched as the emotionless expression turn disgruntled. Though Mihawk wasn't one to show off too much emotion, Zoro couls see some form of disappointment and jealousy breach through his demeanor. Zoro waited for Mihawk to calm himself down, watching for those subtle body motions to tell him that the quiet man was ready to talk about the new topic.

"Man or woman?"

"He was a blonde," Zoro stated, raising his head up and looking into the two golden pools. "Trust me when I tell you it was a definite one night stand."

"Don't act so guilty," Mihawk replied. He crossed his leg and folded his arms, stilling staring at Zoro with a secretive look. "This isn't the first time, nor will it be your last. You're still young, and this relationship is anything but normal. It's best you experiment now while you have the freedom." Something in his voice told Zoro that Mihawk didn't entirely believe what he had said.

"You make it sound like I'm tied down to you," Zoro replied.

"In a sense you are," Mihawk said. Zoro watched a smile appear on the man, causing his heart to skip a few beats. "You're obsessed over something I can't really comprehend. Colors."

"A color can say a lot about someone," Zoro said. "You know that."

"We've had this conversation more times than I can count," Mihawk said. "You know I'll never truly understand. I'm not like you. I can't see the world in colors." He got up from his seat and walked over to Zoro, leaning down and staring deep into his dark eyes. Zoro felt his cold fingers graze across his cheeks, letting the vivid image of pure white enter his mind. Clean, calming white. "I don't understand, nor do I care to understand."

"I love you're color," Zoro said suddenly.

"What's so special about it?" Mihawk asked in a whisper.

"It's pure," Zoro answered, letting his eyes close and focusing on the strong image in his mind. "It's so solid. It's who you are."

"Then why not say "I love you" and save yourself the awful cliché, Roronoa?"

Zoro opened his eyes and looked at Mihawk.

"You're not very romantic," he said.

"You're not much better," Mihawk replied. He leaned in and kissed Zoro on the lips, quickly moving his hands down the younger man's clothing and tauntingly playing with the zipper. Zoro wrapped his arms around Mihawk, eyes closing and heart racing with the need for the older man's physical attention. He could see that white landscape in his mind, like a back drop, and it made him so excited to see that. He loved it, loved reaching out, touching it, and loved mixing with it. And touching Mihawk only made it more invigorating. But just as he felt his pants grow tight Mihawk suddenly removed his hands from his younger lover and pushed him away. "Go take a shower," Mihawk said. his voice was lower than before, and noticeably harsher.

"We only got a few hours," Zoro protested, letting his fingers go through his lover's ebony strands.

"A quick one then," Mihawk said, removing Zoro's hands away from him.

"You can't be serious."

Mihawk looked up at him with a determined expression. It didn't matter how he felt, Mihawk wasn't going to continue.

Whoever thought jealousy could be cute obviously had not experienced the pain it could bring to denied arousal. It was amusing that Mihawk would get bothered by the idea that someone else had slept with Zoro, even though he acted and said it was no big deal, but it obviously was and it meant less time for them to be together since he wanted Zoro cleaned up. And there really wasn't much time to begin with.

"Clean yourself up." The words were sharp and cold, like blades against his heart.

Zoro sighed. He wasn't going to let this get to him; after all it was his fault that he decided to get drunk and flirt with some guy he didn't even know. He barely even remembered any of it…what a waste. The only thing he could really recall was the color; that deep passionate blue. And he'd have to hope that Sanji was already on his way back home, lest he bear with the painful awkwardness of explaining his current relationship. Plus there was always that chance that Sanji might have someone else in his life, assuming it wasn't Nami (in which case both were screwed). Zoro gave a defiant nod, letting Mihawk get up and move aside and make his way up the flight of stairs with him in quick pursuit. He'd have to hurry through the shower, knowing full well that Mihawk wouldn't be going in or doing anything of _that_ nature till he was cleaned up. Mihawk had to be a bit of a prude sometimes, or at least old fashioned. Zoro did honestly prefer that part of him over the other part that told him to go out and sleep around; at least that side made the relationship feel more real. He couldn't wait for him to be old enough to be taken more seriously, for their relationship to become more serious. Mihawk still saw him as the seventeen year old virgin who wanted to attempt a dangerous secret relationship. That same kid who, not too long ago, had lost to him by just standing there and doing nothing, like some kind of idiot.

He'd have to work hard to change that.

Colors didn't just tell him things. Zoro could feel it; the calm, trusting sensation that was brought to him when his mind envisioned white clouds, blankets of snow, and even angels. It seemed so cheesy, and Zoro felt his face burn with embarrassment when he thought about it, but then those feelings would take over him, and he'd feel absolutely fine.

But he could see and feel, through the simple sensation of touch. That was more than reading or writing and depicting a rainbow through the words. It could become nauseating; seeing a slew of random colors following each other in no particular order. And it wasn't really all that special. Reading a word didn't make him feel the same way as being with another person did. He could come up with feelings for the colors he saw, but then everyone could do that. There was always something exciting about coming into contact with another.

He always saw white, but it always felt so new when coming into contact with Mihawk. It was exhilarating, wonderful, and it made him forget all those stressful worries that life held. It made him calm, relaxed, energetic, aroused; whatever Mihawk wanted.

Zoro gave a small sigh, his body sinking into the warm sheets. Zoro's body was tired and still somewhat sore from his last encounter. He had done it before; having sex several times in a row, but Mihawk tended to be gentler on those nights. Zoro felt his body shake and quiver from the contact, his own hands trying to grab hold of Mihawk and pull him in.

Mihawk was in a hurry. He was needy, and perhaps even upset, and there wasn't that much time for preparation. Tonight would be quick and rough, Zoro knew it.

Before Zoro knew it, Mihawk had entered, causing him to hiss in pain. Mihawk was close enough for him to wrap his arms around, giving him the closure and sensation he wanted from the other. He could still remember Sanji's touch, and it made it so hard to think straight with his mind bouncing between the two. He felt lips press against his, causing him to open his eyes and look into Mihawk's two golden eyes. He was memorized by it. Mihawk breathed against his neck, bit it, sucked it, making a soft comment about something, but Zoro couldn't quite hear. What was it? Zoro didn't ask. After several seconds Zoro could feel the pain overcoming all other sense. Zoro clung tightly to Mihawk, hissing and yelping with each rough thrust, his muscles contracting around the other man's length bringing bother closer to orgasm. It hurt like hell. Mihawk knew this. He wouldnt stop though, certainly not after hearing he'd be getting sloppy seconds. A little numbness and blood would be the lesson learned, and Mihawk knew Zoro knew this, and probably would get off it as well.

He let go of his lover, collapsing into the sheets and staring blankly at the ceiling above him. He felt Mihawk pull out and move the side of the bed, sitting up for several minutes before actually laying down besides him. Zoro continued to lay on his back, breathing a bit more calmly as felt a hand brush his face. He would've made a grab for it, but then Mihawk suddenly pulled away from him. There was a long silence between the two, and each refused to make any sort of eye contact with the other.

"What color was he?" he heard Mihawk finally say. Zoro wished he hadn't. It brought back that feeling of guilt as he realized that the thought of him with someone else was still on Mihawk's mind.

"I…I think it was blue," Zoro said in an unsure matter. He Didn't want to make it seem like a big deal, especially now. This definitely was not the time to be talking about such things.

He heard Mihawk feign a chuckle.

"You _think_?"

* * *

><p>He had gotten, at most, an hour worth of sleep. Zoro sighed, grabbing the sheets and dragging his body out of the messy bed, his eyes lazily focused on Mihawk, who was already dressed and on the phone. He leaned over on the edge of the bed, letting his hand hang before grabbing his alcohol scented clothing. He carefully sat himself on the bed, wincing from the soreness from his past activities, but dressed himself quickly and silently. Zoro watched Mihawk pace about, talking to whomever on the phone.<p>

Zoro stood, up, his legs a bit wobbly from exhaustion, and walked over to the door. He made eye contact with Mihawk for a few brief seconds, and he made sure that Mihawk knew that he was leaving. A part of him wanted Mihawk to shower him with promises of calls and affection, but another told him to leave as soon as possible. He had spent those few hours so very close to the man, and the weaker side of him didn't want to think about going without that feeling for weeks, perhaps months.

He had made it down the stairs, and had even managed to open the door without hearing Mihawk call for him. Already Zoro's heart was aching. He couldn't stand feeling so weak and upset. And just as Zoro took his first few steps out the door, he heard it;

"Will you be fine without me calling?" Mihawk asked. Zoro turned and stared at the older man who was leaning against the entrance to the house.

"You won't call?"

"Not unless you want me to," Mihawk said, staring hard at Zoro.

It was nearing ten in the morning. Mihawk would have to disappear from existence before noon, when his flight was scheduled. After that Zoro would have to wait things out and hope for the best…not that he was worried. Mihawk was more than confident that he would be safe from the main media, and was sure of himself that anything Crocodile did would lead to another man, perhaps Doflamingo, getting caught. Mihawk's ties with Crocodile were not that strong, so it would hopefully work to his advantage. Mihawk even went on and told Zoro that Doflamingo had been conducting illegal human trafficking, and that no one outside the seven of them knew about it. That alone would grab all attention from the media, and Mihawk was counting on it as a means of getting away with any deeds he had committed, whatever they were. Zoro still didn't know.

"It'd be nice to hear from you," Zoro said, trying to subtly inform his lover that he really would like to get those calls. It was going to be a long summer; Zoro didn't think he could bear it without knowing what was going on with Mihawk. The man had left before, usually for a few weeks, but mainly for business. Zoro learned to stop being so nervous during those times, but this was very different.

"I'll see what I can do," Mihawk muttered. "Be patient."

"I always am," Zoro said, giving one last look at Mihawk before walking over to the gate, jumping it, and hurrying over to the car. He knew getting emotional would only upset Mihawk and make him worry about him while he was away. Zoro needed to show him that he could be trusted, and that he was mature enough to handle this.

He could handle this.

He opened the door, giving a glance over where Mihawk stood. He was still looking at him, his gold eye locked on to him, staring expectantly. Mihawk seemed so sure, Zoro wished he could feel the same way about the situation. What was it that made the man seem so confident? Luffy was always like that, but he was so different; so much bolder and deeper than Mihawk. He knew he couldn't always rely on colors to determine a person. Zoro turned on the engine and drove off.

Zoro pushed away any more thoughts on the matter. What was important now was trying to get through another long summer with what little money he and Luffy had. Working minimum wage and making a living off of it wasn't the easiest of things to do, especially when he had someone like Luffy. The guy could eat through a weeks worth of food in two days. Speaking of which, he and Luffy were supposed to go shopping today to get food. He groaned, knowing all too well that he would be bombarded by an upset Luffy. Between the two of them, he was the better cook, and the one who knew what to look for when searching for food. He could either expect a "starving" Luffy, or a bunch of instant noodles and hamburger helper filling up the fridge and cabinets. With all this in his mind Zoro quickly forgot about red and whites, and Mihawk leaving for hopefully a few weeks. He'd be able to spend the rest of the day as per usual.

Zoro continued the drive, blasting the radio on high to keep him awake as he made his way back to the small, crowded apartment he shared with Luffy. He parked his car across the street and walked over to the building, looking around for any indication that Luffy was around. He couldn't spot any of his friends' cars, which made him wonder if Luffy ever made it home. He knew he was his only ride, save for Ace who was far too drunk to have been allowed to leave the party that night, and it made Zoro feel just a tad guilty that he may have left his friend for Mihawk. He opened the front gate and walked into the complex, wondering if he should wait a few hours before calling Luffy, in case the boy might be suffering from a hangover. But as he made his way over to his number he noticed that the screen door was slightly ajar, and Zoro tucked his cell back into his pockets as he carefully approached the apartment, taking in the sounds of light chatter. Luffy had made it home, and that wasn't all.

Zoro threw his keys on the worn out coffee table, his eyes wide at the strange scene in front of him. He walked over to the small kitchen table, his jaw agape as he stared at the bags full of actual food. Real, fresh food. Bright red and yellow were poking out from the top of a brown bag, either fruits or vegetables, signifying that someone must have went shopping with Luffy, since veggies weren't usually on his mind. Zoro picked through the bags, taking out a container of fresh strawberries, smiling eagerly at the bright red colors. It looked great.

"Luffy," Zoro called, placing the strawberries down and making his way through the other bags. "Hey, Luffy; you there or what?"

Zoro crumbled a bag and tossed it behind him, not caring whether or not it hit the trash. He pulled out the rest of his spoils, impressed by the wide selection he had to work with. There were a ton of fresh ingredients. It had to have been Nami.

"Zoro!"

Zoro turned himself and stared at the front door where Luffy was. He had two very full plastic bags in his hands, swaying about. But what caught his attention was the worried look on Luffy's face.

"Hey, Luffy," Zoro said as the younger man approached him. "Something wrong?"

"You weren't there in the morning?" Luffy said in a very concerned tone. Zoro felt his stomach twist with guilt as he saw Luffy's upset expression. "What happened?"

"I was with Mihawk," Zoro said stoically. He tried to keep himself as calm as possible, as to not attract any unnecessary attention from Luffy. Luffy always seemed to know what was going on, even without being told. He wasn't going to let Luffy in on what was going on, not just yet.

"So you left early in the morning?" Luffy asked.

"It was important," Zoro answered quickly.

Luffy carefully dropped the bags on the floor. "Did…something happen?"

"What? No," Zoro said, keeping himself from going on the defense. "Why do you ask?"

"Just that…you were with…" Luffy's voice trailed off just as Zoro picked up the sound of two familiar voices from the door way. Both men turned and faced the doorway, Luffy's face tightening up a bit as the sounds grew louder.

"Let me borrow the key…" The first voice asked. Zoro recognized the voice, but from where he didn't quite know. It was very familiar though.

"I told you there's nothing to worry about!" That was Nami's voice. "The cops don't do a thing in this neighborhood. They won't mind that I parked in red."

Zoro watched as the two figures appeared in front of the door. There was Nami, dressed up for the long, hot day, cheery and careless about whatever she had done, and right next to her was…

Great.

"He's here," Zoro muttered.

It was Sanji. Carry the last of the groceries, with a look of concern on his face as he followed Nami, trying to get her to give him the car keys for one reason or another.

"Yes, but it would be a real shame if I got a ticket," Sanji said with a forced smile on his face. Zoro watched with deep regret as the blonde's gaze lifted, meeting up with his. He felt his body stiffen as he looked into Sanji's surprised expression. Sanji obviously remembered him from last night.

"Well!" Zoro heard Nami say. He broke away from the blonde and turned his attention to the irritated woman now standing in front of him. "I was hoping I'd see you," Nami said, frowning at Zoro. "You are in serious trouble."

"Hey, Nami," Zoro said with a shrug. He looked away from Nami, glancing over at the blonde in dismay. Sanji continued to stare back, his expression was too hard for Zoro to read.

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked.

Zoro shrugged again, not knowing how to respond.

"Uhm…"

"Zoro had to visit a friend," Luffy responded.

"A friend?" Zoro heard Sanji ask with interest.

"I don't see what that has to do with him and Sanji messing up my room," Nami said with a scowl.

"He would have cleaned up if he had stayed, but he couldn't," Luffy said, trying to calm Nami down. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a weak smile before turning to Zoro. "Right, Zoro?"

"Yeah," Zoro said, looking over at Nami. He sighed, feeling his face heat up. This was so painfully awkward. Why didn't he think about this while he had first entered the apartment? And now Sanji was here as well.

"We'll talk later," Nami said, huffing just a bit. She shook her head and gave a long sigh. "I just got back home, and we have a party to attend later…I'd hate to ruin all of it with a poor attitude."

"Another party?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said with a wide grin. The tension that had built up in the room had faded now. "It's gonna be by the beach. Nami invited some of her friends from her college, and Ace said he'd invite some of his buddies as well!"

"Ugh," Zoro groaned.

"You don't have to stay long," Nami said. "But it would be great if you did come over. We do have a lot of catching up to do…unless you're too busy screwing around."

"Dammit Nami," Zoro said.

"You don't like parties much, do you?" he heard Sanji say. Zoro looked over at the blonde and felt his face heat up. He had already forgotten about him. Why did Sanji have to make his presence known? Shouldn't he be on his way home by now?

"No," Zoro said.

"He gets dizzy from all the contact," Luffy said.

"Because of his con…_thing_, right?" Sanji asked. Zoro raised a brow, already knowing what Sanji was about to say before stopping himself. He really didn't seem to understand.

"I get headaches," Zoro replied flatly.

Zoro watched Sanji frown, taken aback by his uninviting response. What was he expecting? Zoro honestly figured Sanji was a one-night fling. The two had gotten drunk and had screwed around a bit; there was no reason to think anything more would come of that. Zoro was already with someone, and he had figured Sanji was in the same situation.

"We need to put these away…" Zoro said, gesturing at the food that was on the table. He made sure to keep himself from making eye contact with the blonde.

"Oh, right." Luffy smiled at Zoro. "Nami and Sanji went shopping with me and we got a ton of stuff!"

"I can see that."

"You really owe me one," Nami said, smirking at Zoro. He grabbed hold of his arm and looked up at Zoro.

"I'll go to the damn party, don't worry," Zoro said, pushing her away. He walked past the group, still keeping away from Sanji, and made his way into the hall.

"Somebody's grumpier than usual," Nami commented loudly.

"He had a rough night," Zoro heard Luffy say.

Zoro walked into his room and lay down on his bunk. He stared up, feeling rather upset about everything. He pulled his cell out from his pocket and stared and the blank screen. It hadn't gone off yet, which meant Mihawk was still traveling, or just ignoring him for the time being. It was probably the latter. Zoro let the phone drop to the floor before pulling his arms in and turning to the side.

Why on earth was he being so pathetic about this? Did it bother him that Mihawk was gone, or that he had slept with Sanji before saying goodbye to him? Or was it something else?

"Why are you moping around?"

Zoro jumped, turning himself around and staring at the figure that had entered his and Luffy's room. He frowned, staring angrily at the blonde for startling him.

"What?" He asked hastily.

"You're the one who walked out," Sanji said, producing a small smile. "Shouldn't I be the one acting out?"

"That's not why I'm upset," Zoro answered, getting up from his bunk and walking over to Sanji.

"That's good to hear," Sanji replied, still smiling. "For a second, I was afraid the roles were mixed up. That, or I did something wrong. "

Zoro approached the blonde, crossing his arms and keeping a small distance between them. "Why are you here?"

"What?" Sanji asked.

"Shouldn't you…" Zoro stopped himself. He was sure he was making an ass of himself.

"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on." Sanji shook his head. He was no longer smiling. "Nami had mentioned you before. She said you were…single."

Nami? Of course. Sanji had flirted with him on purpose. While Zoro was drinking and garnering attention with the intent of getting laid, Sanji had been planning a small relationship. Or maybe a bigger relationship. Zoro had no idea how long the blonde would be around, for all he knew Sanji might have been planning on commitment.

"That's why you're here?" Zoro asked loudly.

"No," Sanji said. "I'm here because I woke up alone, and because when the topic was brought up in front of your friend, he got all uppity and didn't believe a word of it." He leaned against the wall and covered his face with a hand. "And now you're upset. It has me worried."

Zoro frowned.

"You were with someone shortly after, weren't you?" Sanji asked, looking up at Zoro.

Zoro could almost remember _that _color. It was such a nice color. Sanji had to be a good person. And it made Zoro feel all the more miserable to nod his head knowing that he really had messed him up. Why did he flirt with the blonde? Why didn't he restrain himself?

"Well, shit," Sanji said. "D-do I need to get tested or something?"

"What? No! Look…"

"I'm really sorry about this," Sanji muttered.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"I saw the way your friend Luffy was acting," Sanji said. "He was defending you, trying to keep the conversation from going down hill. I take it something happened." The blonde looked down. "I'd really hate to be "that person", if something did happen."

So that's what it was? Sanji wasn't heartbroken or anything? Zoro felt a little of the weight lift fro his shoulders as he watched Sanji remove himself from the wall. It didn't make the situation any less awkward though. Zoro needed to say something to fix things up. And he would need to talk to Luffy later.

"It's definitely not what you think," Zoro said, trying to reassure the blonde. "Nothing bad happened." He looked into a worried blue eye and felt his heart weaken as he let a hand rest on the man's shoulder. "It's not your fault…I should've known better."

Sanji looked at the hand on his shoulder, then back at him.

"Everything is ok," Zoro said. He removed himself from Sanji and took a step back.

"You have an odd way of showing it," Sanji commented.

"It's difficult." Zoro replied.

"What happened?" Sanji asked.

Zoro shook his head. "I can't tell you," he answered. "It's very personal."

"Do they know?" Sanji asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, but it's no big deal," Zoro answered rather causally. It was half the truth. If the sex told him anything it was that Mihawk didn't like "sloppy seconds". Sanji was willing to let it go though as long as it appeared that what had happened wasn't a big deal though, and Zoro was going to take advantage of that.

"It isn't?" Sanji asked in surprised.

"Like I said, it's difficult," Zoro said. "You really shouldn't worry about it."

Sanji stared, not willing to believe everything that he was told. "I can't imagine being ok with my partner sleeping around…"

"Ugh," Zoro groaned. He rolled his eyes. Why did he even bother trying to explain this to Sanji if he was just going to question it? This was the very same reason he kept this from Luffy.

"Excuse me for not taking this well," Sanji commented.

"Look," Zoro said,"Let's just forget about this." He licked his lips and quickly added. "Start over, or whatever, just accept what we did is nothing to cry over."

"I wasn't going to cry," Sanji said.

"You felt guilty about it," Zoro replied.

"I try to be a good person," Sanji said, producing a small smile. It made Zoro feel so much better to see it.

"We both had our intentions," Zoro said. "Let's just put them aside right now and try to work together for as long as you're here."

Sanji chuckled. "What was yours?" He asked.

"Not to get with you," Zoro answered.

"What a bastard," Sanji commented. He raised his head and smirked at Zoro.

Zoro pointed at the door.

"Keep that in mind," Zoro said. "I'm not interested in making a relationship with anyone." He walked out of the room and made his way back into the hall. He might as well go back to Luffy and Nami, seeing that his room was now off limits with Sanji in it.

"Because the one you're in is working so well," he heard Sanji say. He felt a hand grab his and give a rough yank, demanding an answer. Zoro froze, his mind filling in with that unique shade of blue. He really wanted to call Sanji out, but couldn't find it in him to do it. Not with that color. Those kinds of people…

"Sorry, but you won't be getting anything else for the rest of the summer," Zoro muttered. He pulled himself away from Sanji and walked off.

Oh, he was going to kill Nami. She must have thought she could just go ahead and pair him up with whoever she met. Even though Nami didn't know a thing about Mihawk, Zoro was annoyed beyond reason.

"Zoro…" Luffy said, walking up to the older man with a cautious look on his face. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later," Zoro said. "I just need time to relax and…think."

"Is it about…"

"Later," Zoro stated.

Luffy gave a nod, looking hard at Zoro with his concerned look. He knew Luffy was just worried, but it bothered him so much. He wished Luffy could understand.

"Zoro?"

Zoro looked over at Nami. Her arms were crossed, and a frown now covered her face.

"What?" he asked.

"Uhm, is everything ok?" she asked.

Just then, Zoro heard the sounds of footsteps behind him.

"Everything's fine," Sanji said, walking into the living room. He pulled out a cigarette and smiled at both Zoro and Luffy. "There's nothing wrong now, is there?" A blue eye locked on to Zoro.

"Yeah," Zoro said, staring intently at Sanji.

There was something about that look, something that told Zoro that everything that he had just told Sanji in the room had meant absolutely nothing. That blonde who looked like he was about to crumble into a ball out of guilt for possible causing a break-up; that guy was no longer there. That innocent, conservative, caring look had been replaced by a more vigorous, confident one. Blues weren't supposed to be like that. They were soft, cool, calming…and a lot more submissive. Was it because Sanji was darker? Or was it something else?

This was going to be a long summer.

* * *

><p>Compliments, concerns, and criticism are all welcomed.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

-Sense-

Zoro walked into the apartment, making note that the door had been left unlocked and slightly ajar again. The day Luffy made sure the two of them were safe and secure in a neighborhood where crime was a serious issue would be the day hell froze over. He huffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he took several steps in, listening to the sound of the television blasting noises. He turned and stared at the group huddled on the furniture, talking to one another and not paying attention to whatever was on. Sanji was there. Zoro looked away and wondered whether he could pass the group without catching too much attention.

"Hey Zoro!" Luffy said, looking over and giving a wave.

Zoro stopped and silently sighed, turning to Luffy and forcing a smile. Both Usopp and Sanji were now staring at him, he was sure of it.

"You left the door open."

Luffy looked over at the door and laughed. "You've been gone for a while," he said, smiling at his roommate. The young man looked up at the small clock that hung on the wall, producing a huge smile on his face once he saw the time. "Six hours," he said gleefully.

"That long?" Zoro asked. He frowned and walked into the living room.

"It's twelve-twenty," Luffy said.

"What are you two talking about?" Sanji asked.

"Zoro likes to run," Usopp said, still staring at the television. "It keeps him in shape." Usopp crossed his arms and smirked rather proudly. "Unlike me, Zoro needs to work to keep his figure!"

Sanji's visible eye went wide. He looked up and Zoro, his face containing a look of modest surprise.

"You ran for six hours?" he asked. A small smirk appeared on his face.

Zoro felt his chest tighten. It didn't help he already felt hot from all the running he had done, and now he could feel his face warm up from the sudden eye contact. It had been a week so far, and even after all this time Zoro found it difficult to talk straight with the blond in front of others without getting nervous.

"Well, you see…" Zoro said shakily, slowly moving his gaze away from the blonde. "I was…"

"Zoro got lost," Luffy laughed. "That's why he was gone for so long!"

Sanji looked bewildered. "What?" he asked. That impressive smirk disappeared. Zoro could feel his chest lighten with a bit of ease.

"Zoro's has a lousy sense of direction," Usopp said, shrugging casually at Sanji's confusion. "He's never been able to just go somewhere. He has to get lost first." Usopp grinned at Sanji, "it takes him about an average of two extra hours to get to "point B"."

"but, he lives here..." Sanji said, more confused after hearing Usopp's explanation.

"Whatever," Zoro muttered, walking past the group.

"Where are you going?" he heard Sanji asked. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Shower," he answered quickly.

He hurried into his and Luffy's room and grabbed himself some clean clothes. Zoro pouted, feeling confused and angry for nor apparent reason, other than the fact that Sanji was in his apartment. But Luffy liked him, and Nami was busy doing her own thing with other friends, and Vivi and Kohza were couple. Zoro knew the mature thing to do was to ignore Sanji and act as though nothing was going on. After all: it was Zoro who said that "nothing had happened".

But Sanji! Damn it if the blond wasn't just a little persistent. During the past week Sanji had tried to start conversations with Zoro. It wasn't too suspicious, at first; but then the topic would usually end up with Sanji asking Zoro about his relationship with Mihawk. Zoro was always sure to end the conversations then, but Sanji would eventually bring it up later. And the way Sanji went about it: always being polite, also made it difficult for Zoro to find reason to hate him for it. Sanji would ask, but wouldn't try to force an answer out. There were other small things as well. He'd give looks, would try to be overtly friendly, or would purposely find something to argue over with Zoro. The worst was when Sanji tried to make physical contact. Although he didn't understand it, and though he certainly didn't seem to care about trying to understand it, Sanji knew Zoro's senses were sensitive, and his reaction to touch was stronger than anyone else's, and he would use that against him. Sanji knew Zoro liked the color, and that the color brought back those memories. And what could Zoro do? He couldn't get angry at someone for bumping into him, or "accidentally" brushing against him…

Zoro wasn't going to lie though: a part of him did enjoy the attention. With Mihawk gone, it was nice to know someone was doting over him. And unlike Mihawk, Sanji wasn't afraid to show that he enjoyed it. And there was the energy. Sanji had so much of it. He was young, quick, and so eager to get in his way to show it. His fingers would glide down his bare skin and tease him. His mind would instantaneously go back to that night, where he first discovered Sanji's particular shade. His body would grow hot, and his mind would desperately remind him that Mihawk hadn't made too much of a big deal over Sanji.

But it was still wrong.

So why did Sanji think this was alright? Sanji knew nothing about his relationship, so why did he think it was ok to try to flirt with him? Was there something Sanji knew that Zoro didn't? Or was the blond just being an ass? Zoro went ahead and chose the later.

Zoro walked into the bathroom, closed the door and promptly turned on the water. Just as Zoro was about to remove his sweaty clothes, there was a loud knock on the door.

"What?" Zoro yelled at the door.

"Zoro." It was Luffy.

Zoro walked over to the door and opened it, peeking through the crack. "What is it?" he asked.

"Your phone went off while you were gone," Luffy said with a straight face. His dark eyes stared longingly at Zoro. "I think it may have been Mihawk."

Zoro's eyes widened with surprise. He hadn't thought to look at his phone when he had returned. Zoro had been too preoccupied with other things that he'd forgotten to check.

"Really?" he asked.

"Do you want me to get it for you?" Luffy asked in a somewhat concerned voice.

Zoro shook his head. He didn't want Luffy to think that he was worrying over Mihawk too much. Luffy already knew that Mihawk had left. Zoro hadn't gone into full detail as to why, only specifying that it would be a while till he saw the man again, and that he had everything under control. Zoro knew Luffy was worried. He knew Luffy wanted to know the whole story, and that he already had some suspicions as well.

"I'll look at it later," Zoro said, trying to sound as uninterested as he could.

Luffy gave a single nod and walked back o the living room. Zoro could make out Sanji and Usopp's voice, though just barely. He thought about the blonde for a brief second, but then reminded himself that he just may have a message from Mihawk. Perhaps he'd finally get some clue as to when he'd come back. If not, then at least he knew he was alright. Zoro hated waiting. He hated not knowing what was going on, or what was going to happen.

Why did Mihawk have to be so secretive? Why?

Zoro jumped into the shower, only letting the hot water run over his tried body for a few moments before quickly moving on to clean himself up. He scrubbed himself raw, and gave no time for air drying and relaxing, and was finished within fifteen minutes. Zoro was eager to see what message he had, if he had any at all. But he knew it had to have been Mihawk. Who else would have called him? No one.

He wrapped himself up in his towel and hurried into his room, reaching for his phone to see who had in fact called him. A grin appeared on his face when the name appeared on his missed called list. It was Mihawk.

He normally wouldn't have been so giddy, but he was just so eager to hear from the man. Though at the very same time he was upset, a bit nervous that he had missed out on his call.

"He left a message," Zoro noticed the top corner of his phone indicated that there was a voicemail waiting for him. He let both of his hands over the device as he stared at the screen for several long seconds.

What was so important that Mihawk decided to leave a message?

Zoro brought the phone to his ear and took a deep breath, unsure and uneasy about the news he was strangely eager to receive.

"_Roronoa?" _

Zoro felt a tug from his lip.

"_You're obviously busy at the moment. Shanks will be over on Friday at three in the afternoon. Call him if you cannot make it."_

What?

"_I know this message is anything but reassuring, but try to make the most of it. Don't get upset."_

Zoro couldn't help but give a bitter smirk. He even produced a small chuckle. It was hilarious. Mihawk knew exactly how upset he would be. But how could he not be upset? This was bull. Nothing. Again. After how many days now?

"_I'll try calling again. Keep your phone with you when you leave."_

The message ended. Zoro felt his arms fall to his sides. It was getting hot; it had to be close to eighty degrees. He was getting sweaty again. Tired again.

"Zoro?"

"What?" His voice sounded like gravel.

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder.

"What is it, Luffy?"

"Do you want to go out today?"

He frowned at the phone and then tossed it, landing safely on his bed.

"I'm really not in the mood."

"…I'm sorry," Luffy said.

"It's not your fault," Zoro said. He pulled himself away from his friend and sat down on the bunk. "I'm just really frustrated."

Luffy stared at him with an all too serious expression. He hated it.

"I know what you want to tell me," Zoro said.

"Right."

"Not today," he said. He grabbed a pair of pants lying on the floor and proceeded to put them on. "I really am not in the mood…really not in the mood."

"You're too good-"

"No," Zoro said. He pulled himself up and looked around for a shirt to wear.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along? Just to think of something else?"

Luffy had changed the subject. It was a wise move on his part. For that Zoro decided to think about it, just for a few moments. He didn't want to go out today. He was already tired, and after receiving such a vague, emotionless message from Mihawk he wanted nothing more than to wait for the days to go by, at least until Friday came along. At the very least, he'd wait for everyone to leave. He could call Shanks and figure out what the hell was going on, assuming the man would be kind enough to provide him with the information he so desperately wanted. He knew an outing would not help him. All he could think about was Mihawk. It pissed him off. It really pissed him off.

"Is Sanji going?"

* * *

><p>"Damn, the fish here is cheap!" Kohza said with a laugh. He turned to Vivi and pointed at the rows of fish that aligned the stand. "Look, he's staring right at us!"<p>

Zoro gave a quick look down at the rows of dead fish. He never hung around this part of the marina, mostly because he couldn't stand the smell, but also because of the noise and crowds. Only tourists would find dead fish on ice interesting and worth looking at.

"Yeah, but the bigger cities dump more in the oceans," Sanji muttered. "I wouldn't serve this guy at the table." He looked over at the merchant who was glaring up at his and quickly lowered his gaze.

"Sanji…don't ruin the trip to the beach," Nami groaned.

"What?" Sanji pouted.

"Just cause the foods bad doesn't mean the beach is bad," Kohza said.

"And the food isn't bad at all!" Luffy said. He turned to Zoro and smiled. "Me and Zoro love the fish here."

"Sanji's a master chef," Vivi said suddenly. "He probably just being picky." She wrapped her arm around Nami and looked to Sanji, "weren't you?"

"Of course, Vivi!" Sanji answered sweetly. His voice was like syrup to Zoro's ears. Thick and disgusting overpowering with high fructose bullcrap.

"Is that a lighthouse?" Kohza asked.

"Oh, yeah," Luffy answered.

"How do you get to it?" he asked.

"I can show you."

"Really now?" Kohza looked to Vivi. The girl removed herself from Nami and went through her purse. Zoro watched as she continued to search through it, stopping and then telling her boyfriend that she had the phone.

He then turned his attention to the pier. He could see the light house to the left, a good twenty minutes away. The two would be gone for awhile. It would be quiet. How strange for Nami to invite a couple while on vacation. She hardly ever saw the two. Were it not for Sanji, who spent half his time with Luffy, Nami would have to have realized what a waste of money she had spent on gas.

"Zoro, are you alright?"

Zoro looked at Nami, who was now staring uneasily at him.

"You're spacing out."

"I was staring at the lighthouse." It was the truth.

"Come with me," she demanded. Her small hand gripped his and she pulled him away from the market.

"What about Sanji?" he asked. Luffy had taken the two love birds away, and Sanji was still busy criticizing the quality of the fish that was being sold.

He heard her laugh.

"He'll be fine. He's not like you."

"What?"

Nami continued to tug, and Zoro, knowing his place in the relationship, let her pull him until the two reach the docks. As they walked together he let his mind wander, his main focus on her hair and the curls that were forming at the very bottom. He always thought her hair came closest to her color. The curls seemed to add more to it. Curls bounced and were never straight. Nami was sort of like that. She never bent to anyone else.

"You're spacing out again," he heard her say.

He realized the two were now just a few rotting pieces of wood away from the ocean.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" he said.

She frowned at him. He noticed her hands were resting disapprovingly on her hips. Great.

"Something going on," she said. "You're not your usual self."

"What?"

"Did something happen when I was gone?" she shook her head. "You were so much more active. And you would respond quicker…"

Nami didn't know a thing, and he knew damn well he couldn't tell her. But Zoro knew he couldn't leave her completely in the dark.

"I'm busy with stuff," Zoro answered. "Please, do not get worried. I swear things will be normal by the end of the week."

"A week? Zoro, what is going on?"

"It's weird," Zoro said.

"…who is it?"

Zoro went blank. He was at a lost for words.

"Who's messing with you? A guy? A…girl?"

"You're giving me way too much credit," he lied.

"I don't know," she said. "It's hard to tell with you." Her small hands grabbed hold of Zoro's. "What are you seeing that I don't?"

Zoro didn't have to say a thing. He knew what Nami's feelings were about him. He kept secrets, he was always like that. She never cared before, but as soon as she learned that he was different she became more suspicious. A bias, she called it. She exclaimed that he was more prone to keep certain details from others, pick certain friends over others, based upon what colors his mind produced when he came into contact with them. She never cared about the numbers or names…but the colors produced by touch; that bothered her. what about the money, he wondered. Why was it ok for her to be greedy or selfish, but not him?

He wished he could tell her it wasn't true. But Zoro himself knew that he wasn't perfect, and if he had to compare Luffy's red with her…

"Relax," he sad reassuringly. He couldn't think of anything more to add.

Nami reclined on the wood fence. One of her hands gripped the thick rope that tied the poles of the fence together.

"Has it always been this boring?"

Zoro shrugged. "I take it things back east were more exciting?"

There was a long silence. The two listened to the sounds of seagulls taunting people to throw bits of leftovers at them. Zoro looked down at the murky water below. The sea water was a filthy, polluted dark green. It was full of garbage and sea debris. Sanji was right about the fish.

"Was the water always this gray?"

"It's green…and I guess blue," Zoro replied.

"Whatever," she said.

"Nami, try to act happy while you're here," Zoro said. "Your friends are having fun."

"Yeah, but Kohza and Vivi will be leaving soon. They have to visit their parents."

"Is Sanji going back too?"

Nami laughed. She looked at him and smirked. "Suddenly you care?"

"Maybe."

She crossed her arms. "I though you were with someone," she said.

"I already told you to not worry," Zoro said. "Besides, it hasn't stopped Sanji from trying to get to know me more." He huffed. "I'm doing him a favor."

Nami stared in disbelief. "That doesn't sound like him."

"Perhaps I've sparked some sort of flame?" he laughed. "Curly-brow wont give up."

"Yeah right!" she answered. She frowned and looked out into the direction she had last seen the blonde.

Zoro thought about Sanji. What kind of guy chased after someone who was already in a relationship? He could ask this over and over but never get a good enough answer, and now with him contemplating over whether or not he should oblige to Sanji's demands only made the possibility of finding an answer more unclear. With this in mind Zoro pulled out his phone and stared intently at the bright screen. He could call Shanks right now and Nami wouldn't now any better. Perhaps he could find out what Mihawk had in mind for the two of them. But then there was that huge, obvious chance that Shanks wouldn't provide him with anything, playing the exact same game as Mihawk, He's be just as ignorant as before, and expected to be fine with it.

He put the phone back in his pocket and began to walk back to the marina.

"Where are you going?" he heard Nami say from behind him.

"Going to find Sanji," he answered.

He was guaranteed Sanji would be gone by the end of summer. Whatever shenanigans he got into the blond would be done and over by then. And since Mihawk was far to busy with keeping secrets, then something like this wouldn't be a problem. He could have a secret of his own. For once.

Zoro didn't have to go far before spotting the blond. He was right next to the beach, with a cigarette in his hand. He leaned against a pole, staring anxiously at the huge crowds of families relaxing and playing in the sea water. He wondered whether the anxiety on Sanji's face was from being lost, or something else.

Blue: they never got nervous.

He walked up right as Sanji took a deep inhale from his stick. Zoro was careful not to rest his hand on any bare skin as he rested himself on his shoulder. He got his attention, and Sanji immediately turned to meet with him.

"Lets go."

"What?" Sanji asked.

Zoro smirked and him.

"Neither or us are dressed for the occasion, might as well find something else to busy ourselves with," he said.

Sanji continued to stare at him, trying to make out what was going on in his mind. Zoro made sure no skin contact was made. No surprises this time. He wanted to be control of what would happen.

"What's your game moss-head?"

"The same as yours."

Sanji chuckled. He dropped his cigarette and snuffed it out with his shoes.

"I don't get you," he answered. "But I'll play along for now." Sanji suddenly grabbed Zoro's hands and pulled it close to him. He playfully swung his arm, brining attention to those around them. They were...holding hands. At that moment Zoro felt his calm demeanor fade. He could feel his chest heat up.

"Understand I make no plans to be the 'other man'," Sanji said.

It was as if he knew. Sanji knew how he worked, knew that his mind would somehow find the very first memory of a particular color. It struck Zoro as odd, almost impossible. How could Sanji even guess how he worked when he didn't even know?

Zoro managed to force a smile on his face. Something like that…how was Sanji not a red?

"Smile all you want. I'm serious," Sanji said.

"We'll see," Zoro answered.

* * *

><p>Uploading this was a pain. If you spot anything weird, please inform me.<p>

Critique much appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Edited 6-21-13

* * *

><p>Light night, Dark day<p>

It was Wednesday. Two in the morning and neither Zoro nor Sanji were ready for sleep. Luffy had gone out with his brother, and taking advantage of this rare opportunity the two did everything they could to each other. An hour after the love making, instead of rest Sanji began to ask questions. He was full of questions. Zoro didn't mind so much, especially considering the topic.

"So how long was it until you realized you were a freak of nature?" Sanji asked.

It was one he had become accustomed to hearing, but it was something he loved answering.

Zoro held on tightly to his pillow as he recalled the day before exams during freshman year in high school. Although he hardly studied it was easy for him to remember particular words, those that appealed to him with their spectacular arrays of colors. Words could be messy and random, with orange and pink right in-between purple and gray, but once in a while there were words that produced a sort of matching rainbow, bringing forth memorable images that he couldn't possible forget.

"I had just turned fifteen," he answered.

Sanji chuckled affectionately. "What happened?"

"I was staring out the window during a lecture. I was tired." Zoro could feel Sanji's hand trail over his lower back. A flicker of blue appeared in the backdrop of his mind, like candlelight in a dark room, and then disappeared in the physical exhaustion his body held. "The teacher-I forget the name-saw me and decided to call me out in front of everyone. He asked me what a word meant-partisanship.

"I answered almost immediately after hearing the word. The look on his face was priceless," he continued. "But it wasn't until after class that I realized I was different." He could feel Sanji staring, listening to the words he was saying. It was different from before. He had laughed when he had mentioned this before. now suddenly Sanji felt an interest in learning about his strange abilities. But Zoro knew better than to award Sanji for this. Sanji didn't want to share with Mihawk, that was the underlying topic neither would bring up. but Zoro played along, still enjoying Sanji's willingness to learn and listen.

"Luffy and Usopp asked how I knew, seeing that the three of us barely studied the night before. I told them about the image I saw when he said the word-and I remembered it." Zoro could see a spark of interest appear on Sanji's face. A small smile appearing where his lips met.

"What?" Sanji asked.

"The word made a pattern," he answered.

"You see patterns too?"

"Only if the colors coordinate well enough," Zoro said. "Most are just random colors, but some have enough of the same shade or matching colors to create something."

"So I'm a mess?"

"You're not that bad," Zoro yawned. "S is blue, A would be yellow, then-"

"I like orange," Sanji said. "Is there orange in my name?"

"No, thank god...it would ruin everything."

He heard Sanji produce a tired laugh. He could feel the bed shake as the blonde moved about in the bed, his body moving closer to his.

"I always thought it was normal," he said. Zoro paused, lifting his face from the pillow. "I still think it is…"

"You think the way I see things is weird?" Sanji asked.

"No, not really. But I think the way I see things makes more sense."

"Explain," Sanji said.

"The way I see people," Zoro said. He flipped himself over on his back and faced Sanji. "It's like an aura. Another way for me to see a person, but different. When I connect with people, it's on another level. I really know who they are."

"And what am I?"

Zoro stared into Sanji's blue eyes. His mind strayed as he thought about the first time Mihawk asked the question, way back when the man had taken interest in his unusual condition. His expression was stoic as usual, but Zoro could remember the look of curiosity within his yellow eyes. It was a look that had since dwindled. Mihawk didn't care anymore, his reasoning that it would be pointless to care when he could never fully understand or experience it. And now Sanji had the same look in his eyes, but rather than wear a straight face, Sanji's expression matched the spark in his eyes. Zoro wasn't sure whether to feel excited or depressed.

"You're blue."

"Yeah, and?"

"You're confident. You know what you want." Zoro answered. "Also, you're more likely to take a more mature, steady approach to problems."

"A little vague," Sanji said.

"You're also a screw-up," Zoro added. "For the most part, you're more stable. People can rely on you, and you can rely on them. You're more honest with yourself. Better than me."

"Still a little vague. Feels like I'm reading a horoscope or something," Sanji said. He rested himself next to Zoro and smiled. "Surely there's more to this than some magazine description."

"I'm just giving you a description of everything I've gathered from other people with the color," Zoro said. "Besides, everyone's unique. I've never met someone with the exact same shade."

"There are shades?"

"And everyone isn't quite the same as the next," Zoro said. "It's like…you know how scientists say there are colors we haven't yet named or discovered? I've seen them."

"And with me? What's great about my color?"

Zoro could see the color in his mind and easily found the source of where this color belonged. He had seen this shade of blue before; in movies, pictures, paintings, and his dreams. It was the ocean. Not the shade he had seen the other day when he was at the harbor, but the color one would imagine when cast way out. Water that hadn't been contaminated by pollution, but the deep blue water that was far out and away from human contact. That crisp, solid, deep blue that was so full of mystery and life.

"It's the sea," Zoro answered. He watched as Sanji's expression grew more excited. "Pretty good comparison if you ask me."

Sanji lifted himself and hovered over Zoro. He lowered his head, his lightly touching Zoro's, and causing both men to smile with energy and delight.

"And yet I'm competing for your attention," he muttered to the man.

Zoro frowned. "There is no competition," he said. "I already told you I'm taken. Nothing's going to change that."

"I don't know," Sanji said. "I have you up and about, blushing and begging for attention."

"Stop."

"And you're happy," Sanji added. He produced a cocky smirk, and Zoro felt himself shudder as he felt a hand gently grasp his heated erection. "Very happy."

"There is nothing serious going on," Zoro gasped as he felt Sanji's hand tighten his grip a bit, sliding up and sending sweet sensations to pool inside him. "You can't ever change that."

"I think I can," Sanji said.

"You seem too confident."

"You should have seen your face when you talked about your colors. Like a child talking about Christmas," Sanji replied. "You lit up when you spoke about the sea." He grinned. "I'm the sea, you see."

"I'm not going to fall for it."

Sanji moved in closer. Both men were touching each other, hot skin rubbing and sending strong signals to their frantic minds. Zoro continued to stare up at Sanji, trying his best not keep himself from smashing his lips against Sanji's. It was hard. His body was aching for more contact, and Sanji's soft hand was making it difficult as it continues to stroke his sensitive manhood.

"What am I competing against?" Sanji asked again.

"Something you can never hope to defeat," Zoro answered.

"I think the overconfident one here is you." Sanji moved his leg over Zoro, and pulled the bed cover aside.

"Says the guy hung up over a summer fling," Zoro answered.

"Careful, Mosshead," Sanji warned.

"Selfish."

"What?"

"Blue. You can be very selfish. Especially the darker shades."

Sanji broke into a laugh, enough to have to cover his face and wipe away some tears.

"Everyone selfish sometimes," Sanji coughed, calming himself down. "You think you're a saint?"

Zoro snickered. He rested himself on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling while he felt Sanji hands rest on his chest. The cold air on his erection brought the slight sensation of pain and loneliness, but it was quickly overlapped when he felt Sanji's soft flesh press against it. He closed his eyes and let out a soft groan, his arms reaching out and grabbing the blonde's hips, helping aid in entering him. His body shivered as he heard Sanji utter a sigh, his mind disappearing as pleasure took control. He forced Sanji all the way down, earning a hiss from him, but didn't care. It was hot, tight, too hard to ignore. Sanji's hands moved up and down his chest, his hips shaking as Zoro proceeded to thrust into him, earning loud moans from the from both of them. Zoro stare up at the blonde. He could see Sanji, and he could see that faded blue backlight, though it was getting murkier the closer he was to climax. But underneath what he saw was something else, that shade of pure white that he couldn't ignore, not even in his current state. It was eating at him.

* * *

><p>VvvrrrrVvvrrr….<p>

"Mosshead…"

The sound of the phone shaking rapidly on the shelf wasn't enough to wake Zoro. His exhausted body was curled, facing the wall, unaware that it was nearly ten in the morning. Sanji, on the other hand, wasn't accustomed to waking past eight, and despite his body being worn and his mind weary, he was up. He had showered and gotten himself dressed in his wrinkled clothes, and was about to cook a late breakfast before noticing the faint sound coming from the room.

"Hey, Zoro."

Sanji knelt down and shook the man's shoulder. Zoro didn't even stir from his sleep. The phone went off again, going off and dancing on the shelf before finally falling to the floor.

"Your phone. Hey, idiot, wake up."

It was apparent the man wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. Sanji groaned and walked over to the floor and picked the phone up. Just as he was about to put the phone back he stopped and turned the screen on. He wasn't sure why, but he watched the bright screen and stared at the top left corner.

2 missed calls.

Sanji looked over at Zoro's sleeping form and decided to continue to see who had called, not out of curiosity, but out of was no password stopping him from looking. It wasn't hard for him to find the list of missed calls. He stared up at the top two recent calls and saw they were the same name.

"Hawkeye?" Sanji said. It was a name he didn't recognize, but then it wasn't really a name to begin with. It was a nickname…and it could belong to anyone.

Sanji frowned. This wasn't going to help him at all: he certainly couldn't call this person and call him by that name. He placed the phone back on the shelf and then sat himself on the edge of the bed. He turned and watched Zoro slowly breathe. His chest moving up and down at a calm pace, and his body curled in that adorable position. He looked at peace.

He felt jealous. Sanji knew to Zoro this was nothing more than a summer fuck. It didn't matter what he did for the man, as long as he was in love with someone else there was nothing he could do. It was frustrating. After spending years of trying to figure things out and finally opening up to who he was, everything he was going through now made it feel like a waste.

Vvvrrr!

Sanji looked down and saw the screen of the phone light up for a few seconds before going blank. A text message.

He knew he shouldn't, but it was almost impossible to ignore. Sanji picked up the phone and immediately went to messages. He clicked on the only unread message without even bothering to check on whether Zoro was still asleep.

_Meet in front of the gated commun at 7. We'll have a few hours to talk about anything you want. Don't miss future calls_.

_-Mihawk_

Sanji had no idea what it meant other than it was important. The second sentence raised enough suspicion to have him convinced it involved something more than a normal chat. But it was the name at the end that had Sanji on the verge of crushing the phone in his hands. The message had come from Hawkeye, but the name on the bottom was Mihawk.

He had heard this name somewhere, but couldn't remember for the life of him. But this person was real, and chances were this was the person that Zoro had his eyes on. This was the person he was supposed to disappear for. Sanji squeezed the phone and continued to stare into the screen before finally letting out a long sigh. Zoro was still sleeping, and the phone was set on vibrate so he wouldn't hear a thing.

This Mihawk ought to have known better. Zoro was obsessed with someone who was hardly there for him. That wasn't right. Sanji told himself over and over again that what he was about to do would be right. He went back to the message board and then to the options menu and deleted the message. He placed the phone back on the shelf and walked out of the room.

As he made his way into the kitchen Sanji could feel a burst of amazement and awe of what he had just did. He could hear an audience of imaginary fans applauding his actions, cheering and whistling for taking action against this Mihawk fellow. But by the time Sanji was in front of the coffee maker he could feel his heart shaking so hard he was sure his lungs were getting bruised from the impact. What did he just do? Did he really just delete a private message intended for Zoro? What if it was the wrong person? What if Zoro got into trouble?

Sanji swallowed some excess saliva and frantically shook his head, reassuring himself such a thing would not happen. He grabbed the can of ground coffee and let himself inhale the scent, relaxing himself and putting a smile on his face.

Zoro would never know. He wouldn't even have a reason to know. Sanji quickly readied the coffee maker and hurried back into Zoro's room. He made a quick glance at Zoro's sleeping form, smiled, and then grabbed Zoro's phone. He removed the missed calls from Zoro's contact history and then pressed the power button and slide the phone off. It was a risky move, but if Zoro did ask why it wasn't on Sanji could easily come up with an excuse. _Your phone probably died. Maybe it was a glitch of some sort. Apple products aren't very reliable._

This was terrible. What was he doing? Was he really doing this for someone he only knew for a few weeks?

Sanji placed the phone back on Zoro's shelf. He stared down at the man beneath him, completely unaware of what was about to unfold. How patient was Mihawk? Hopefully not too patient.

"Mmm..."

Sanji's body jerked in terror when he heard Zoro stir. He hurried out of the room, back into the kitchen, and after a few deep breathes, managed to bring himself back to usual self. He open the fridge and began to pull out a few eggs and a package of bacon. He could hear Zoro waking up to the smell of coffee, his yawn filling the entire apartment. In a few moments he would have a chance to change the young man's mind about him. He would be a summer love story...not after working so hard to start all over again. Things would be different this time.

* * *

><p>Comments of any kind are appreciated.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

-Color of the Setting Sun-

Zoro scampered down the hot sand, each step causing his legs to leap higher as he and Luffy raced towards the ocean. Somehow Luffy kept a smile on his face, ignoring the heated ground and surpassing Zoro as he made his first steps on the moistened beach sand. Zoro slowed down as soon as he heard Luffy cheer over his victory and let himself rest, lifting his legs up one at a time to put his sandals back on.

"No Zoro, we're not done yet," Luffy whined.

Zoro jeered Luffy with a sarcastic roll of the eyes. "My feet are burning!" He bent over and wiped his lower legs clinging with crushed shells and minerals.

"Lets run a few miles," Luffy suggested. "We still have an hour and thirty before the movie starts."

Luffy wanted to see a movie at the dollar theatre today. It seemed like a good idea, and with nothing else planned for the day Zoro decided to spend his day relaxing with his close friend. Rather than go to one closest to their apartment, Luffy reasoned it would be a better idea to find one (the lack of a decent Wi-Fi connection made it hard to look one up) by the ocean. Though Luffy was an excellent drowner Zoro went along with the plan.

Sanji left right around the time Luffy had arrived home. Zoro had asked him to stay a while, but the blonde insisted that he leave, only promising to arrive later that night. Without Sanji's intimate company to assure him extra needed attention Zoro felt somewhat unsure of what was currently happening. His open relationship was becoming all the more confusing. Mihawk wasn't sending him any messages, and without the knowledge of his safety Zoro felt worried and in the dark. The more he thought about it the more he couldn't help but think about Sanji as well. The blonde showered him with attention, was willing to flirt with him, and even listened to his lesser interesting conversations. Zoro suspected this was nothing more than a summer honeymoon between the two of them, and after a month one of them would tire of the other, but it did make Zoro realize that something was missing in his relationship with Mihawk.

"Zoro?" he heard Luffy run up to him, his feet smacking against the tide. "Do you want to run?" he asked him.

"Not really," Zoro muttered. "I'm just gonna save my energy."

"For that long?"

"It's just an hour," Zoro said. "I don't want us to be late this time."

Luffy laughed. "Good luck with that!" He looked ahead to the pier that was several hundred feet away. "Wait here!" Luffy said, slapping his hand against Zoro's shoulder. "I'll run there and back in less than five minutes!"

"Have fun," Zoro said. "And stay away from the water!" Luffy dashed ahead of Zoro leaving him along to continue pondering. He pulled his phone and checked the time. Six-forty. When would he see Sanji again? Yes, later tonight. But when would he see Mihawk again?

Zoro shoved his hands deep into his pockets, his fingers outstretched in the cramped space while he tried his best to not groan out loud. All of this waiting was frustrating. He was sure no other relationship worked this way. None of this was normal. Why on earth did he remain with Mihawk again?

The color. White. Even know just thinking about it made Zoro calm. It was a comforting color. But why? Did it make him smile because he associated it with positive traits, or was it because he associated it with Mihawk?

Zoro heard his phone buzz and pulled it out, flipping it open and checking the name on the top of the screen. He pulled the phone to his ear and answered; "Nami?"

"Hey, where are you?" Nami asked.

"Well, good evening to you too," Zoro said. "I'm fine, how about you? And Luffy and I are at the beach."

"Ugh, whatever," Nami moaned. Zoro had to pull the phone away from his ear. "Look, I was wondering if you'd two like to come over my place later and hang out. My friends will be leaving soon. Just some dinner and maybe a movie."

"O-oh," Zoro said. He unconsciously placed his free hand on his forehead. "Sanji's leaving?"

"He's staying," Nami said. "I thought he told you?"

"Told me what?" Zoro asked.

"He's planning on enrolling at a community college around here," Nami said. "My sister and I are letting him stay at our place during the semester, assuming he gets in of course."

This was the first Zoro had heard of this. But it all made sense now. Why would Sanji be so interested in Zoro in the first place if he were only staying for the summer? The blonde was planning to make this a more permanent thing, even after Zoro had made a point in telling him nothing would ever come of it.

"I had no idea," Zoro said. Why keep a secret like this from him? Didn't Sanji realize he would have found out sooner or later? It was foolish planning on his part. Sanji was keeping a terrible lie that was about to be uncovered, and through the phone, of all devices.

"I'm surprised," Nami said. "I mean…I figured he'd tell you or Luffy, seeing that you hang out with him the most…I thought you might be interested in him."

Zoro was thankful Nami wasn't around to see the blush appearing on his face.

"I guess he's still upset about what's happened," Nami said.

"What are you talking about?" Zoro asked. "You mean there's even more to this I don't know about?"

"Woah there, I didn't say anything," Nami said. "You ask him, after all…all he ever does is talk about you. He'll probably tell you if you pester him a bit."

"Nami…" he was still blushing, even more so now knowing he was leaving quite the impression on the blonde.

"I swear, this is legit," Nami said. "He's not trying to sabotage you or whatever the hell you think people like him do to people like you? What color did you say he was? Blue? Damn those Blues!"

"Yeah, well...Luffy and I are going to see a movie, and chances are he'll want something heavy when it's done."

"Hey! Zoro!" Zoro turned and Saw Luffy running to him, almost out of breath as he sloshed through a foot worth of beach water.

"Is that Luffy?" Nami asked. "Give him the phone."

"I said stay out–never mind," Zoro shook his head and handed the phone to Luffy. "It's Nami," he said.

"Cool," Luffy said. He got out of the water and grabbed the phone from Zoro, shaking his legs of seawater while happily chatting away with Nami. In the meantime Zoro found himself all the more curious about Sanji's current situation.

He hadn't thought about it much, but he did remember Nami mentioning that she and Sanji didn't attend the same college. She met him out side of the classes, under different circumstances. With what Nami had just said before, Zoro couldn't help but wonder if Sanji might have been in trouble at one point, and him moving to the west coast was his way of starting fresh? Nami must have pushed the idea on him, promising him a place to stay, new friends, and a single green headed man who would see things in colors. Yes, this was starting to make sense now, though in a very strange way. Even if he was far from the truth, Nami told him that all he had to do was ask Sanji, which was more than what he had with Mihawk. He couldn't ask Mihawk about anything…it was so unfair…so–

And why did his mind continue to wander back to Mihawk?

"Zoro," Luffy said. Zoro retracted his last thought and turned his attention back to Luffy. "Here's your phone," his friend said, handing the cell back to him with a slight wave of the hand.

"What did she say," Zoro asked.

"She wants us to hang out, but I told her the two of us are going to see the movie instead," Luffy said. "I want us to hang out together, just best friends."

Zoro smiled. "Great. I'd like that."

"You've been out of it recently," Luffy said. "Last few days have been nice, but right now you seem a little dazed."

Zoro continued with his smile, but did allow a slight nod. "Yeah, I just finished thinking about something really big." He crossed his arms, the phone still resting in his hand. "and Nami's really got me thinking about it…I can't help but wonder if I might be wrong about something."

"We're all wrong at least once, right?" Luffy suggested. The words seemed to fit well with Zoro. He hated being wrong about something, but now seemed all right so long as it was just this once. His eyes lowered on the phone resting in his right hand. How long could he play this waiting game with Mihawk? Was it worth being with the man, or was Nami right just once about his ability to pick lovers? He was young, and Sanji was young…even if it didn't work out he still had his whole life ahead of him.

"Zoro? Are you ok?"

Zoro suddenly realized that his breathing was getting rushed and noisy. He could feel his arms shake with goosebumps. It was a fear he hadn't experienced before, but knew white well what it was. Just thinking about opening his phone and calling was making his throat hurt.

"Luffy, can I ask you a question?"

"You know you can ask me anything," Luffy said. He placed his hand on Zoro's arm, the warmth traveling up him and making Zoro feel just a little bit better.

Red. Red was always…no. No, he couldn't keep doing this.

Zoro stared lost at Luffy. He knew Luffy would keep anything a secret if he asked, but admitting weakness was difficult for him to do.

"I think…I think I made a mistake with Mihawk," Zoro said with a long sigh. His chest felt like it would turn inside out when the name was uttered. Zoro was sure that Mihawk had somehow heard this and would call him right away, but his phone stayed situated in his shaking palm. "I think I might need to break up with him."

"For…Sanji, right?" Luffy asked.

"That fucking obvious?" Zoro asked.

"You're really easy to read," Luffy responded. He looked around the beach and proceeded to walk away from the ocean and towards the town center. "Come on, let's talk and walk."

"I just need your honest, unbiased opinion," Zoro added, following right behind Luffy. "I know you don't exactly support the relationship I have with Mihawk, and right now things are just too difficult–"

"I think you're making it quite obvious what you want to hear," Luffy said. He about faced and smiled at Zoro. "You know what you want to do, Zoro. It's not my relationship. I don't even know what kind of guy Mihawk is."

"You don't," Zoro said. He felt a pinch of guilt when he remembered how much he had kept from Luffy about him and Mihawk. "You never really met him."

"No," Luffy answered. "But you cared about him, so I assumed things would be ok. I know you're smart enough to realize when things weren't working out."

"Still, I had to keep secrets from you," Zoro said. "That's…not good." Zoro continued to contemplate what he was feeling when he once again looked down on his phone. What would happen if he called Mihawk right now and made demands to change the way things currently were? Mihawk didn't meet the standards that Sanji had raised in the past few days and, selfishness aside, Zoro didn't think it was fair that he ask the older man to suddenly provide him with more attention. Mihawk had a life before him, and once Zoro did decide to leave, Mihawk would have a life after him.

"Do you think Sanji will be better?" Luffy asked.

"Well, it would be different, that's for sure."

"But will it be better?" Luffy asked, this time more persistent on getting a real answer from Zoro.

Sanji was a puzzle. Zoro wished he had asked the young man more questions about his personal life, rather than allow all their conversation to revolve around him. There was actually very little he knew about Sanji, and it bothered him that he had let it happen. But based upon what he did know already, Zoro could guess things would be an improvement if he did choose Sanji over Mihawk. Blue over White? No, he couldn't keep thinking this way. Nami was right. This wasn't the right way to look at things.

But wasn't it true? Blue was solid, perhaps more solid than white. What was white exactly? Could a White provide a secure structure, or did it lack the capacity to, after all: white was a color that lacked color. White was the lack of color, essentially a void. Perhaps the color of freshly fallen snow, the white dress, the flowing clouds: all of it had somehow obstructed the real scenery. Mihawk was white; but he wasn't a White. No, he was a person with flaws. Mihawk got jealous. He would get upset and frustrated when he couldn't understand Zoro. He performed duties that were so shady they had to be kept a secret. And Sanji? Just because Zoro saw blue didn't mean it was a Blue person. Sanji was flawed too. He was just beginning to see it now.

"Maybe," Zoro final answered. "I think I'm getting an idea of what it might mean."

"What does it mean?"

"The way I see things," Zoro said. "I'm beginning to wonder if the colors I see mean anything at all."

"What?" Luffy asked. "That's silly. They always were right before."

"I don't know, Luffy," Zoro said. A frightening thought entered his mind as he spoke. There were more than 7 billion people on the planet, and he was only capable of seeing the world in so many shades. How could anyone define a person by a shade? How could everyone be unique when he was limited by colors visible to the human eyes? 7 billion people, and he relied on only a thousand different shades, the intensity of each shade being the only discrepancy between them all. It felt like a miniature panic attack. His whole body shaking in the sad, sudden epiphany that he had denied himself for so many years. Zoro was "seeing the light," and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Well, either way you'll need to come up with a decision." Luffy brought himself closer to Zoro and tried to cheer him up with a warm smile. "I'll be there when you do. No matter what happens."

"Thanks," Zoro said. "That really makes me feel a lot better."

Vvvvvrrrr! Vvvvvrrrr!

Zoro lifted his phone up and stared at the name appearing before him. He felt compelled to simply ignore it, or, better yet, to toss the phone right into the ocean and forget everything he had just said a few moments ago. Instead a smile appeared on his face and the doubt that had taken hold of him was gone.

"He's calling," Zoro said. "He finally called."

Luffy said nothing. He merely stood in front of Zoro, his face free of any biased appearance. Without looking further into Luffy, Zoro answered the call and hurriedly brought the phone to his ears, eager to hear the familiar voice welcome him after the break.

"Where the hell are you?"

To say the words were unexpected would have been an extreme exaggeration of what Zoro had felt when he heard Mihawk's first sentence to him in days. The usual stoic voice was changed into an angered accusation, for what reason Zoro couldn't understand.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"Are you lost?" Mihawk asked. His voice was still harsh and unwelcoming. It didn't suite well with Zoro. Where was Mihawk right now if he was asking him where he currently was?

"Zoro, what did he say?" Luffy stepped forward and eyes the phone with mild suspicion. Zoro stared at Luffy, incapable of properly answering him. If he knew what Mihawk was asking him then he would have given an answer, but now it appeared the man was being more cryptic than ever.

"Roronoa?" Mihawk said through the phone.

"Yes?" Zoro stammered. He couldn't believe he hadn't said anything into the phone since Luffy spoke. He was sure Mihawk would only be more upset than before.

"What exactly is going on?" Mihawk asked.

Zoro thought for a moment and then quickly answered Mihawk, "I don't know." He took a deep breath, deep and loud enough for Mihawk to hear across the line and then added, "but I don't think it's working out."

"Excuse me?" Mihawk said. Out of all the words he had said in the conversation so far, these last were probably the least threatening in tone.

"I need to break up with you," Zoro spoke; his mind and body racing faster than the words could exit his mouth.

Instead of a response, Zoro was rewarded with silence and then, after several seconds of waiting desperately for Mihawk to respond, the sound of a soft 'click' of the call being dropped from Mihawk's side.

"Zoro?"

"He hung up," Zoro muttered to himself. His grasp on the phone slipped, causing it to land on a soft pile of sand. Zoro didn't seem to care much as he brought both his hands to his forehead. He couldn't believe this was Mihawk's response.

"You broke up with him," Luffy said. He kneeled down and picked the phone up.

"Yeah, I did," Zoro said, still quite stunned.

"But you did it on the phone," Luffy said, peering up at Zoro while carefully wiping away stray particles from the cell hone. "Not a smart move."

"I wasn't really thinking about that," Zoro answered. "I know I should have waited. But for some reason, I don't know, I just said it out loud."

"Well, I guess that answers the questions that were bothering you before," Luffy said. "At least some of them."

"Maybe I'm a lot more wrong than I figured."

Zoro felt Luffy's rough hand rest against his. In it he could feel his cell phone. Zoro could see that shimmer of a strong, solid red. Zoro squint his eyes and tried his best to see something else, just the hands and the phone, but no matter how hard he struggled to see past it the red was still there, not leaving his mind until he took the phone from Luffy.

"Is there something in your eye?" Luffy asked.

Zoro grumbled. "No."

"Are you upset?"

Zoro sighed and shook his head. Then he sighed again and gave a short, quick nod. "Well, actually…a little," he confessed. "I think I just did something really stupid."

"It'll be alright," Luffy said.

"I really hope so," Zoro muttered to himself.

The two friends made their way back to the parking structure where dusted themselves off. The thought of breaking up with Mihawk continued to linger in Zoro's mind when he and Luffy hurried into the Town Center by the pier. It didn't bother him as much as he had thought it would, and the he thought about it, the less bothered he became. Being hung up on sucked, but everything else felt like a distant memory that he could hardly remember. White. What did it mean really? Outside the country it represented other things, perhaps fullness being a trait. Emptiness. Or maybe it was just a random color he saw whenever he made physical contact with Mihawk. And blue–

"Come on Zoro," Luffy yelled. "You're going the wrong way."

Zoro groaned aloud and made a quick turn. He raced across the street just behind Luffy. How was it that they were always late to these sorts of things? The two of them would never see the beginning of a movie so long as they lived. Luffy and Zoro hurried inside the small theatre and handed their tickets in. Zoro followed Luffy and made sure to keep an eye on him and not get lost. They finally slowed down once they found the right theatre room. Just as Zoro was about to walk in his phone went off again. Luffy didn't notice and went ahead of him to find the perfect seats. Zoro pulled out his phone, hesitant to see who had sent him a message.

He was relieved to find Sanji's number instead of Mihawk's.

_Hey. Nami said you were going to be out late tonight? –Sanji_

Zoro walked through the double door, but stopped before getting into the main area. He could feel his face prickle with warmth. So Sanji was looking for a new start, he wondered. He went though his contact list and scrolled down till he reached Mihawk's name. Was it really over, he asked himself?

He pressed Mihawk's name and stared at the ten numbers glowing on the screen.

–What about blue? It was just a color, like white. Nothing special, right?

He'd start over with Sanji starting tomorrow. He'd talk to him and ask him all the questions he should have asked the morning after they met. He'd listen like Sanji had listened before. Zoro went back to the message board and responded to Sanji's last message.

_I'll be home by eleven. You can come over if you still want to. _

_Luffy will be there. -Sanji_

Zoro stared at the final message before once again going back to his long contact list. He knew Luffy was wondering where he was: Zoro had to be quick about this.

He stared at Mihawk's number and let his finger hover over the edit option. But when it came time to do it, for some reason Zoro couldn't delete the number from his contacts. He went back to the messages and responded again, lying to himself that something beyond Mihawk was stopping him from removing his name from the phone.

_I know. He knows. _

_Really? -Sanji_

_Yeah._

He'd find the time to delete the number later. Zoro crammed the phone back into his pocket and walked up the flight of stairs till he found the row Luffy was in. As usual he had missed the first several minutes of the film, and he doubted Luffy would do a decent job explaining what had gone on. Before he could get settled his phone went off again. Zoro grabbed the phone while it was still sheathed and tried to smother the sound. He carefully pulled the phone out and checked to see what Sanji had sent him.

_I'll see you tonight. -Sanji_


	7. Chapter 7

AN- For those who haven't checked, I have edited the first five chapters of this story.

* * *

><p>Blue and Green<p>

Sanji had gone to the same university as Nami for two semesters. Nami was still in high school making last minute attempts to raise her grades high enough in order to get the scholarships needed to travel east. The two never shared a class together.

Sanji was undeclared. He had a passion for food but the university offered little in the culinary arts. He had taken a mixture of general education classes, trying to find a medium should his primary goals not come to fruition, and midway during his second semester he met a young man. Zoro was never provided a name, but by the way Sanji had reacted to introducing this character informed him everything he needed to know.

Before meeting this character Sanji had been known to only flirt with women. He loved women, and according to him he still did. But not the right way, Sanji had corrected himself at the last minute. Sanji loved women for their beauty. He loved women for their kindness. Really, he loved women for their femininity. Sex, however, at least heterosexual sex, was something Sanji had difficulty achieving complete pleasure from. He could be madly in love a woman, but once the real physical connection was made he would suffer what felt like a loss, a death of something he had before.

Masculinity brought Sanji a new sense of living once he became intertwined with it. He had never thought about pursuing a man, let alone being pursued himself, but once Sanji realized the pleasure he received when he was touched, flirted with, and even dominated, he began to wonder and attempted to reassess his own sexuality. The later half of the semester involved a struggle that would ultimately leave Sanji depressed and failing out of college. He dated a young girl during the day, her name also withheld from Zoro, taking their relationship so slow it appeared almost traditionally conservative, but would later be involved with the young man who had showed him taboo love. He waited for one of the to break up with him and tell him that there was something wrong. He wanted the man to tell him that he was awful, a poor lover, not genuinely happy, but it never happened. He loved the woman too much to soil her, and his fear continued to gather as he waited for his body to give him a more direct sign.

According to Nami, (who seemed to have an answer for everything these days) Sanji emotionally loved the feminine, but physical craved the masculine. This answer, although clear to the blonde once he had been told, had bothered him so much that he had decided to take a break from school. The idea that he might be gay was frightening to him, and the thought of being pansexual, or even bisexual was overbearingly impossible for his mind to wrap around. When he mentioned this to the girl she immediately broke up with him, even after he told her how he did love her. The man quickly followed suite. He couldn't blame them: he had cheated them.

So came the semester break. It was only supposed to be a short breather to clear his mind, but somehow Sanji found himself quite lonely and thought himself lost in a fog of questions that he was too afraid to answer himself. Even after he met Nami and she took the time to listen to his innermost fears about the mess of a gender he had Sanji still retained something of a pessimistic view on romance and himself. After meeting Nami Sanji decided to take another semester break, making it a personal goal to figure out what he wanted out of love. He took a second job at a café while spending a few hours a week at social gatherings, trying his best to be as open-minded as possible. Even after being told what he desired, Sanji still needed to experience it all. Why was it impossible for him to enjoy a woman fully? Why did he feel like something was stolen after finishing with her? Why could sexual fulfillment only be achieved in the arms of another man?

Sex was a rare occasion that Sanji made sure to treat as a very, very delicate matter. He made a point not to engage in risky behavior, knowing quite well what the consequences were for those who made too many intimate connections.

Sanji then backtracked. He and Nami became close friends just after the end of his first break. They met at a bar that was close to the campus, and being just a year away from the drinking age, needed someone to buy her a beverage. Sanji obliged out of attraction, but when the time for him to reciprocate flirtations that were being directed at him, he simply lost it. Rather than walk away, Nami did something that Zoro thought was impossible for a girl like her to do: she stayed and asked what was wrong, and then…she stayed and listened! How on earth did such a strong friendship build from something that had to have been so awkward and painful to watch? But at the end of the day Nami offered him a place to stay and rest till he could bear to go back to his apartment, a hand to hold when he found himself in need of attention, and a herself for when he desperately needed an answer or opinion. When he finished his second break from the university Nami knew everything about Sanji, and he knew almost everything about her.

Nami spoke about Zoro in a few conversations. At first Sanji held little interest in a green haired man who spent his time trying to master swordsmanship, but as Nami got deeper in detail in her stories about her friends, Sanji began to wonder more about the man who could see the world in colors. After having learned more about himself, Sanji also started to wonder whether going back to the university was a good idea. He wondered if a completely new start was needed in order to be happy with his life. Although he had socialized with other men, and had even tried a few dates with men, and even learned how to appreciate the masculine body, Sanji did not yet know how to be happy with another man. He did not yet know how to be, if were even possible, happy with a woman. It was daunting to imagine a life on the other side of the country. How could he possibly try again at a serious relationship?

"What's the moral of the story?" Zoro had nervously asked in a joking matter.

"I'm still trying to figure that one out…the story really isn't over yet." Sanji had said with a mild sigh. He inhaled a short breath into the cigarette and gave a soft glance at Zoro. A smile appeared on his soft, warm face. Smoke escaped through the thin gaps in-between his teeth. "But I'll be sure to tell you once it has."

* * *

><p>That was three days ago. Though Zoro had not asked Sanji whether he'd like to make their relationship a lot more serious it was something that had floated in his mind since the cell phone incident. The main reason he had decided against immediately asking the blonde out was because of the goddamn incident. There was something undeniably rude about breaking up on the phone, and Zoro didn't need overthink about Mihawk suddenly hanging up on him was a sign that things weren't over between them. He was sure he would see Mihawk in the future, though he wasn't sure when. Mihawk was confrontational. He wouldn't take this sitting down. But not because he was…white. Zoro reminded himself over and over again to push aside all colored assumptions.<p>

Zoro grabbed the remote lying on the couch and turned the television off. The weather today wasn't too bad: he shouldn't be spending the day inside. Thinking about Sanji and Mihawk had also ruined any chance of being able to not think for hours on end. He had to go outside, do something to help him relax.

"Zoro, why'd you turn the T.V off?" Luffy whined from within the kitchen.

"I'm leaving," Zoro said.

"Really?" Luffy asked, poking his head out of the small kitchen. "Where are you going? Want me to tag along?"

Zoro frowned. He hadn't the slightest clue where to go. The malls would be packed, as will the beaches, theatres, parks, and arcades. It was too early for him to get drunk.

"I don't know," he answered.

"So…an adventure?" Luffy asked.

"I guess I should really think about what I'm going to do with myself," Zoro muttered to himself. Luffy went wide eyed and jumped on the couch next to Zoro.

"You're thinking about your future?" Luffy asked. He leaned close to Zoro and smirked. "Are you going to go to college?"

Zoro hadn't necessarily thought about college in particular, but now that the topic had been raised it did give him something to consider. He couldn't think of a major, but he could very well take some general education courses and earn an Associates Degree. If Sanji did decide to stay here…maybe he should really think about furthering his education. He knew love meant no competition, but Zoro had enough trouble seeing himself a proper mate to Mihawk when he openly remarked his distaste for homework and classes. Right now Sanji was his equal and Zoro would like it to stay that way.

"Maybe I should check out the campuses," he said.

"Are you sure you really want to go back to school?" Luffy asked.

"I don't know, maybe," he answered. "And it's college. Totally different from school."

"Community college isn't too different," Luffy said. He sank into the seat and crossed his arms, shaking his head. "It's almost like a bridge to the real thing. You can expect a lot of the same stuff from high school."

"And you would know because?"

"Ace and his friends are still taking courses there," Luffy answered. He yanked the remote from Zoro and turned the television right back on.

"Oh," Zoro answered.

"I'm glad you're thinking about these things though," Luffy said. "It's nice to see you taking so much time into what you really want out of life." He got up from the couch and went right back into the kitchen to finish making his lunch, leaving Zoro alone to figure out what he would do with himself.

He walked into the bedroom and picked his phone up from the shelf. After turning it on he checked to see if there had been any messages left for him.

Maybe he'd talk to Sanji, he thought while checking the main screen of his phone. Mihawk hadn't left a single message. Zoro looking into his contacts and stared at the name that he had neglected to delete. What on earth was he waiting for? A message? He didn't need Mihawk's contact in order to receive it. He should delete it, he thought. You need to get rid of this, he continued. You can't start something new unless you're willing to get rid of the old.

Zoro groaned and pressed the screen that took him back to the list of names. He went on back to the main screen. He was pathetic.

Zoro shoved the phone into his pocket and proceeded to grab his wallet and keys.

"Luffy, I'm leaving," he yelled into the hallway.

"Try not to get lost," Luffy hollered back.

Zoro walked into the hallway, then into the living room and headed to the door.

"I wont," he unintentionally lied. Zoro went out the door and headed to the car. He unlocked the door to the driver's side. He looked up and squint his eyes. The sunlight irritated him and made his nose tickle. Zoro sneezed and as he opened his eyes caught the glimpse of a familiar parked car about to drive off.

It was an older car. Remodeled and well cared for. A bright cherry red color that hardly anyone drove in unless they enjoyed the unwanted attention of cops. Shanks was so confident. He didn't mind the attention. Always wore the same grin when they stopped him.

His red car.

This wasn't his territory. There was no way he was out to sell in this neighborhood.

Zoro watched as the hidden figure within the vehicle pulled out of the street and drove off, the engine loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood. What was Shanks thinking? This was a terrible idea. Not Mihawk's idea. It had to be his. Knowing the man, Shanks probably wanted to make sure he was caught as well.

It was now obvious that Mihawk must have told Shanks. The two were friends, and although Mihawk wasn't the most open person, it would make some sense that he would want to talk about this sudden change with someone. Zoro felt his hand rest on his chest, grabbing hold of his shirt and holding tightly on the thought that Mihawk just might have been…_hurt_. This poor man who's relationship was ended on a goddamn cellphone had to talk to someone, and now that someone was checking to see if Zoro was walking out of the house with anyone who wasn't Luffy. Fuck. Oh shit. A drug dealer was trying to spy on him.

Zoro got into the car and turned the car on. He was pretty sure this was just a scare tactic, Shanks' way if trying to teach him a lesson for hurting his dear friend, nothing more. He doubted the redhead would actually try to harm him. He was a minimum wage worker with no future, and Mihawk was a man of great wealth and power. Not to mention the last thing Mihawk needed was anything that could possibly link him and Zoro together.

But just in case, Zoro took the long way to Nami's house.

* * *

><p>Zoro walked up to Nami and Nojiko's place with a tinge of paranoia. He blinked several times before grabbing the doorknob, trying to freshen his dry eyes and give himself a moment to produce a calm demeanor. He looked down and frowned when he realized that the door was unlocked. God, did anyone lock the door these days? Did all the rapists, thieves and murderers just go away?<p>

"Nami? Sanji?" Zoro called. He heard the television in the living room. Was everyone just lying around and watching television today.

"Zoro, is that you?" Nami called from the side. Zoro took a few steps in and turned to his right, catching faint movements produced by the light of her room.

"I'm actually here to rob and murder you," Zoro answered.

"Good luck finding anything valuable," she laughed. Nami walked out of her room and appeared before Zoro in her pajamas. "I keep all my precious things in a safe in a bank."

"Guess you're not planning anything today," he said.

"Hey, is that the marimo?" Zoro heard Sanji voice echo from the living room.

"Yeah," Nami said. "You better put some shoes on! He sounds like he wants to go out!"

Zoro pulled his head and back and groaned. "Don't put words into my mouth."

"Never mind," Nami said. "Take off your clothes! He wants you to stay inside!"

Zoro turned bright red and grabbed Nami by the shoulder (_there's nothing there. No Orange. Just orange. Just a color_). "Stop it," he hissed. She smiled at him and lifted her arm, gave it a slight tug, and freed herself from Zoro's grasp.

"So, how are things?" she asked. "Sanji said you're trying not to think in colors?"

"Don't get any sort of ideas," Zoro said. "I'm just trying to see things the way you do." He swallowed some of his spit as he tried to think of a better way to explain it to Nami. He really didn't want to hear her gloat. He didn't want to feel like he was so wrong about everything.

Nami balled her hand into a fist and playfully knocked it against his chin. "What," he grumbled.

"Good luck," she said. Zoro fought every instinctual urge inside him to ask her why she had just said that. It sounded so genuine. She sounded like a real friend.

"Thanks," he said. He did his best to not sound too sincere.

"Are you here to ask Sanji out?" she then asked. And just like that Zoro went back to loathing Nami's personality.

"Three days ago you called him over. Two days ago he called you over." Nami crossed her arms and smiled, her hazelnut eyes peering up at Zoro with a suspiciousness that made Zoro nervous. "Why waste so much gas unless you're planning on making a move?"

"I think I'm just going to talk with him today," Zoro said. He didn't give Nami a chance to add a snide remark and made a one-eighty to the living room. He wiped his face and could still feel the glow from Nami's previous comment. How could a woman hold so much power over him? Before walking in he closed his eyes and tried to think about his grabbing her. It was a poor move. It was an eye-opening move. He still saw the color. But he didn't let it get to him. A good start. Sure, he had to consciously think about it, but it was a start.

As Zoro leaned against the wall he could hear the sounds of the people arguing with each other. What was Sanji watching, he wondered. He turned and saw Sanji lying across the couch. Before he could make himself known he noticed the colors of racing words going across the television screen. An ugly pride parade produced by the news station.

"It doesn't fit right that Spain would allow amnesty to such a villain!" a woman dressed in red whined.

"Apparently this Doflamingo fellow is responsible for fixing the Spanish economy, among other things," another woman said. She had exotic features. Zoro wondered if she was a Spaniard herself. "But this doesn't change the fact that he had been previously arrested a few years ago under suspicion of human trafficking-"

"-And was pardoned by our government," the red woman interrupted. "This man is an associate of Crocodile and Moria. His fleeing the country is a sign that he is hiding something from the U.S."

"Speaking of which," the only man rang, "what is the general consensus on the sudden disappearance of Moria? He agreed to surrender just a few days ago, but hasn't been-"

"Let's watch something else," Zoro said loudly, walking into the living room.

"Look who graces me with his presence," Sanji said while brining his legs up, offering half the couch space to Zoro. "What, you don't like the news?"

"I dislike the sound of idiots arguing," Zoro said. He sat himself next to Sanji and yanked the picked up the remote from the floor. "Anything else would be better."

"This is a pretty interesting story," Sanji said. He stared helplessly as Zoro changed the channel. He sank into the couch with folded arms and a small pout.

Zoro placed the remote on the coffee table in front of them and turned to Sanji. The blond stared back, his lower lips still puckered out from his faux tantrum. Without saying a word Zoro yanked Sanji's arm, pulling the man out from the corner of the seat and pulling him right into Zoro's chest. Deep Blue. He heard Sanji produce a small yelp out of surprise. (_It's just a color_) Zoro wrapped his free arm around the blonde, chuckling warmly into his ear.

"Lets do something, he whispered into the blonde's ear.

"Like what?" Sanji asked. "Nami will get upset if we try anything right now." Despite his own warning Zoro could feel Sanji's hands creep underneath his shirt, his long fingers lightly trailing across his heating body. Sanji's weight was pressing against his chest, his warm body burning intensely through their clothes. Zoro could feel a fire growing inside of him, but his mind kept going back to that now forbidden scenery of blue waves. (_It's all in the mind._)

"I've been thinking," Zoro said. "Maybe we should make some changes."

"Like what?" His fingers halted. Although Zoro had wanted to get his point across the sudden deferment of physical contact, as well as Sanji's nervous stare, made him uncomfortable.

"You want to stay here long term, right?" Zoro asked. Sanji stared a few more seconds at him before giving a small nod. "You want to get a job here, right? Or go to school?" Sanji continued to watch him, confused, almost suspicious in appearance. Zoro didn't understand the reaction, but continued, "I was thinking maybe we could go out today and I'd help you. I'd even go and apply with you."

Sanji quickly went from confused to vividly happy. Zoro felt both arms wrap tightly around him while the blonde moved in close, Sanji's face hovering right over his. He wasn't sure how or when the blonde managed to get on top of him, but Sanji's success was about to take its true form.

"Really?" Sanji said. He sounded like a child on Christmas morning, and Zoro hadn't even begun to mention the big question that was crushing his mind.

"Y-yeah," Zoro said. He could feel Sanji's breath against his skin. The smile only made things worse. "We should get out of here…you said Nami would be upset."

"Ah, right," Sanji said, his face still hovering so close to Zoro. The two stared momentarily at each other before subconsciously deciding to dive in for a kiss. Sanji's lips were soft and moist, welcoming against Zoro's rough, nearly chapped lips. Zoro arched his back while opening his mouth, brining himself closer and allowing Sanji full access to the rest of his body. His lower stomach felt like it was about to burst in flames from the rushing blood pooling lower and filling that needy organ. He saw the blue in the back of his mind, and he wanted nothing more than for it to smear against green, mix it together until there was nothing left but a dirty, nasty shade. Sanji tongue entered his mouth; Zoro could taste the bitterness of the nicotine filling his taste buds. The kiss deepened with both men warring against each other for dominance, though as soon as Sanji's hands went down his spine he gave in and let Sanji have him all. He instinctively arched his back, spread a leg, and looking up hungrily at the blonde whose face was full of lust. But instead of continuing the blonde hissed out a sigh, and suddenly reality struck both men and the backdrop of glimmering sunlight against seawater began to fade. Strings of saliva broke as the blonde pulled his face away, his hands, his entire body.

"We're going to get into trouble," Sanji muttered while wiping his face. Zoro stared up at awe at the reddened face just above him.

"Yeah," Zoro gasped, catching his still shaky breath.

"College, right?" Sanji said. "You know all the local ones?"

Zoro's eyes lowered. He stared at Sanji's pants, detecting something underneath the promiscuous shading. He looked back up with a deviant smirk.

"What are you two doing?" Nami's shrill voice entered the living room and caused Sanji to jump of Zoro. Both men turned and stared at the young woman who was now dressed up and glaring at them with a forbidding stare. "Not the couch," she hissed. "I will not have that smelling like sweat and sex."

"Nami dear," Sanji cooed nervously. "We were just about to leave." Nami looked down and pointed a finger at Sanji. He twisted his leg in order to hide the obvious erection from the girl.

"Go get some groceries while you're out," she grumbled. "And if I see anything on the couch that isn't lint I swear I will make you two pay."

"Of course Nami," Sanji said. Zoro rolled his eyes and shifted his body as a precaution to Nami's curious eyes.

"Mhmm," She muttered before walking into the kitchen. Sanji sat himself next to Zoro and sighed.

"Maybe a job and apartment would be the better option," Sanji said, turning and facing Zoro. He smiled and sank into the couch, "we can't do this."

"Nami will leave once break is over," Zoro replied. "You should be set for an education."

"You think so?"

Zoro reached out and pulled Sanji in for a soft kiss on the cheek. "We'll find a way," he said seductively into the blonde ear. He grinned as he saw Sanji's ears turn red from his kiss.

"College and a job," Sanji whispered.

"We should head down the strip and see if any places are hiring," Zoro said, wrapping his arm around Sanji shoulder. He could still see the color, now more since he hadn't yet finished. There it was, blue, all over the room, the walls, the furniture, like his eyes had been blinded blue. He felt Sanji's hand casually slide down and rest on his leg, causing a tingle to run up into his sensitive erection. So close yet so far. (_And blue_)

"I hate the mall," Sanji warned.

"We'll see if any decent food joints are hiring," Zoro replied. "You said you wanted to cook, right?"

Sanji smiled. "Shit, you remembered."

"Of course I did, shitty cook."

* * *

><p>Holding hands in public wasn't something Zoro had ever grown accustomed to. Mihawk never allowed any opportunities for such simple, yet complex, contact to be made. Zoro had wondered how his mind would react to constant hands touch one another. How would his mind deal with it? What would he see?<p>

"Are you alright?" Sanji asked.

I'm fine," Zoro answered. It was half the truth. If sex had shown him anything it was that marvelous silhouette of imagery and colors constantly laid out in the back of his mind. The pleasure produced from the physical part of sex would mix with the mental and emotional high produced during the act, and the colors made it all feel so damn good. He loved it, was addicted to the visions his brain produced when he was with another person.

Holding hands was different. It was scary. Everybody could see him holding hands with Sanji and once in a while someone who look and either point or make a comment or even just smile because, hey, they might just be a really nice couple. But it was all so new to him, and holding Sanji hand, although it felt nice, made him very self conscious about his lack of experience in this particular area, and every time someone looked at the two of them he wondered if he was somehow screwing this up. How do you screw up handholding? Why couldn't Mihawk hold his hand just once? So when he saw that deep, solid blue in the back of his mind Zoro felt an erotic tingle that stretched all over his body, tickling his mind similar to the way smoking pot once did, but the stares made it impossible for him to really enjoy it.

"Is it too much for you?" Sanji asked. Zoro slowly turned his head and glared demonically at Sanji. What made it worse was the openly worried expression on Sanji's face. The man really thought this was too much contact for him.

"I'll be fine," Zoro said. "I really want to do this."

Walking around a college campus full of progressive, liberal minds seemed like a wonderful place to hold hands in. Everything was nicer here; it was nothing like high school. Everything was greener, fresher, and everyone actually appeared happy to be there. After seeing a few couples Zoro wanted to hold Sanji's hand and find out what he was missing. And though it was difficult and made his face blush Zoro had to admit this was very nice. Sanji's hand was soft and warm and his fingers were so long and comforting wrapped against his skin. He really wished he could have done this before with Mihawk.

"You just keep blushing," Sanji said.

"Yeah well…"

"Like a virgin or something," Sanji added. "It's actually kind of cute…but I really don't want to do this if it's causing you a headache or anything."

"I'm fine, really," Zoro said. "Let's just go to the car."

"You see, you don't like it," Sanji said. He tugged at Zoro' arm. "Just let go. I won't get upset or anything."

"Yeah, but I will," Zoro growled. "I'm just not used to holding hands in public." He took a few more steps alongside Sanji and added, "Or at all. I've never really done this before."

Zoro didn't know why he had just said that. They were in the middle of the quad, far away from the parking. They had so many buildings to pass by, and even more curious eyes to gaze upon their strange . And now Sanji was going to pester him into how he could have missed out on such a juvenile act.

"You've never held hands?" Sanji asked.

"Well obviously I've held hands before," Zoro barked. "Just not in a romantic setting."

"Parents don't count," Sanji said with a laugh. "Seriously, you've never done this before with anyone?" Zoro looked away and began to pull at Sanji arm, fastening his pace without saying anything.

"You ought to talk to this special someone," Sanji said. "They seem pretty open about this relationship. I'm surprised something like never crossed their mind…or is it a kink I'm not aware of?"

"That's definitely not it," Zoro replied, shaking his head at the mere thought of it. Mihawk with kinks? Oh lord. "We just never really got to doing this sort of thing."

"You're supposed to hold hands before whoring yourself out," Sanji chuckled. "You're doing everything in the wrong order."

"Whatever," Zoro said.

"Zoro?" Sanji asked, tugging Zoro lightly.

"Yeah?" Zoro asked.

"Do you see everything in blue right now?" he asked.

"No, that's not how is works," Zoro answered. He looked at the trees, the flowers, the grass, and the people and could see something hovering lightly around them. A light blue hidden within every little thing he saw. But it wasn't overpowering, not right now. "It's just there. But I'm not uncomfortable."

"What makes you uncomfortable? "Sanji asked. He felt Sanji hand grip him tightly. "Long words? A lot of people touching you at the same time?"

"Words, no," Zoro answered. "But the people, that's something I cant handle too well. Part of the reason I dislike parties is the way people keep making contact with each other. It hurts my head after a while."

"What's that like?" he asked.

"Eventually it becomes a smack across the face, but inside my brain. It's too much to process," Zoro said. "I have a very hard time processing each person's color at the same time, so it all ends up as some weird blotch things."

"That sucks," Sanji said. "Do you see the same thing with numbers?"

"No, just people," Zoro said. "Words don't go out of their way to overwhelm me. I can just look away if I don't like what I see."

"And this is how you've lived your entire life?" Sanji stopped and faced Zoro, bringing his free hand to Zoro's cheek. "That must have been awful. You can't be too close to people."

"To a lot of people…but I can still be with someone. For as long as I like," Zoro said. "I can enjoy physical contact. You ought to know that by now."

"And now you're trying to stop it?" Sanji asked. "How is that possible since your brain is hardwired that way?"

Zoro shook his head. "I'm just trying to not make it too…" He let some fingers cover his face while he tried to better explain his goal. Sanji had proved an interesting point. He could tell himself over and over again that none of these colors really mattered, that it was all something his brain did because something rare and unusual happened to his brain before he was even born. But no matter what he did do he certainly couldn't get rid of it all. It would always, always be there. And no matter how hard he tried to tell himself it didn't matter, Zoro now felt that on a subconscious level he would still be making many assumptions and creating biases based upon what he did see.

The two of them walked out of the campus, still holding hands. As they made their way into the parking lot Zoro couldn't help but look around for Shanks. He was pretty sure he hadn't been followed today, but just to be sure he freed himself from Sanji, using the rouse that his hand was getting to warm for comfort, and kept an eye out for anything suspicious.

He wanted to ask Sanji out. He wanted this to be something real. Zoro knew he couldn't make anything happen until he finished talking with Mihawk, and who knew when he'd get that opportunity. A part of him wanted Shanks to be here, watching the two of them, being provoked to call his dear friend and hopefully getting Mihawk to come back and talk with him.

Why couldn't he call him, and why did it have to be Mihawk? Why won't he just delete the damn number?

"Want me to drive?" Sanji asked. "I can get us to the mall a lot quicker."

"Oh please," Zoro groaned.

"It's true," Sanji said. "It took you more than an hour to get us here!" He walked up to Zoro and fondled his pants. Zoro pushed the blonde away.

"I can drive," Zoro said.

"I'll call Nami to warn her I might be late coming home today."

"Just because you said that I'll make sure we get lost on purpose," Zoro snidely responded. "I'll get us stuck in traffic."

"Have sex in the car in the middle traffic," Sanji sarcastically remarked. He leaned against the passenger side and waited or Zoro to unlock the door.

"Easier than trying to do it anywhere else," Zoro said. He unlocked the doors and got into the car. He watched the blonde slowly enter, one of his hands holding his cell and carefully texting with his thumb. "You're not serious are you," Zoro asked.

"Nami locks the door after ten," Sanji said.

"Make some keys," Zoro said.

"Nami says it's a waste of money," Sanji said with a smile. "She'll give me hers when she leaves next fall." He put on the seat belt and leaned back. "And car fucking isn't all that hard to with decent self control."

"It's not even half way through summer," Zoro commented. He thought about Sanji's last comment and remembered the lack of sexual attention from several hours before. He had never done that sort of thing, mostly because he had never thought about it, and because Zoro was sure it was akin to driving drunk or high: really fucking stupid and dangerous.

"You've done it before?" he asked, hiding any sign that he was just a little bit curious.

"I've gotten blown before while driving, yes," Sanji replied. "Full on fucking? Not yet." Sanji turned his head and smiled puckishly at Zoro. "Why?" he asked.

"It's just a thought," Zoro answered.

"Want me to do it while you're driving?" Sanji asked straightforwardly. Zoro's jaw nearly dropped at the question, because how could Sanji ask something like that with a straight face. How could anyone ask that without so much as blushing red from embarrassment?

"What?" he asked nervously.

"I can suck you off, give you a handjob, masturbate, or have you do me," Sanji answered in a most attentive manner. And yet it came off so depraved and wrong. "Well, _Marimo_, do you want to try something more fun that holding hands?" Sanji paused and looked off, as though he were just thinking about what he said, then added, "unless, y'know, you can't drive and while I'm touching you or-"

"If you're jerking off, how does that make things satisfying for me?" Zoro interrupted.

"You'll know it's going on," Sanji answered. "You'll hear it at the very least, plus I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to aim at you…"

"You've never done this," Zoro said.

"I know some people do," Sanji answered. "Doesn't exactly have to be just me jerking off now, does it? We can do each other if you'd prefer."

Thinking about it, Zoro was sure he could probably get away with driving and fucking at the same time. After all, people drive high and drunk all the time and never get caught. But Sanji did bring up an interesting point. Deep physical contact like that would bring out a deeper blue. Every time he came it was all he could see for a few seconds before his vision whited out and went back to normal.

"You drive," Zoro stated. Sanji produced a devious looking grin as he and Zoro switched places. Both of them got themselves situated in their seats, this time only Sanji wore the safety belt, and Zoro was left unharnessed and feeling rather unsure of himself.

"I don't think any of the lights here are going to have cameras," Sanji said, "it's a relatively small campus…so we can start whenever you're ready."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a virgin," Zoro said. He went down and began undoing Sanji's pants. "It's not like I haven't done _this_ before."

He could feel Sanji looking down and smiling at him with that big, shit-eating grin. "Today was the first time you've held hands with someone. I think I have the right to treat you like one, even for just a day."

"Just start the car," Zoro said while fishing through Sanji's boxer. He felt Sanji's hand rest gently on his head.

"You sure you don't want me to start?" he asked quietly. Zoro replied with the swift movements of his hands, pulling out the blonde's semi erect penis and lightly grasping the base. He looked up, his hair brushing against the surprised hand, and stared benevolently at Sanji. He opened his mouth, taking his time and making quite sure the blonde could see his every movement, grasping firmer around the base while his thumb rubbed against the hardening flesh, sticking out his tongue and letting it grace the brightened tip.

He heard Sanji utter a soft, almost whispered sigh. He heard the keys turn on the ignition. Zoro took in the entire head and began to lightly suck on it, letting his tongue move back and forth against the underside. He could definitely see the blue, though strangely enough it wasn't as intense as before. Maybe it was stress, he wondered. Zoro let his tongue rub against the opening of the head, feeling it grow hot in his mouth and tasting the light saltiness of precum.

Zoro continued to let his grip loosen and tighten, moving deliberately slow up and down the shaft while he continued to suck on the head. The car slowed to a break and Sanji coughed out a moan. He felt Sanji's hand rest on his head against, this time fingers gripping at his hair and pushing him lower. Zoro obliged and began to take in more of the erection, letting the organ slide further inside his eager mouth. He let his tongue ride against a vein and released his hand from the rest of the erect organ, sinking further and taking it whole.

"Shit," Sanji gasped. His finger curled into Zoro's soft hair as he felt Zoro run up and down his manhood. "You're really good at this!" Sanji breathing fastened as Zoro began to move his head up and down at a quicker pace, stopping just at the base of the head and swiftly lowering himself down to the hilt.

The vibrations of the moving car, as well as the lack of stability from his position, made it difficult for Zoro to relax. He constantly wondered whether or not other passengers or drivers were realizing what was going on their car. He kept thinking about the possibility of a car accident. And somehow Zoro felt himself turning red with passion and excitement. He could feel himself getting hard and eager for his turn. His entire body tickled with the mere idea that people might be watching. The sounds of Sanji's moans and the erotically painful feeling of his hands pulling at Zoro's hair made him already close to the edge. And he could see it, the colors. Not just one color. Other things.

This is fun, he thought. He liked this. Not the situation in general, but all of it. He liked being with Sanji, holding hands with him trying out new things with him. The possibilities with the young man were endless compared to what he had with Mihawk before.

Without really thinking about it, Zoro removed himself from Sanji and peered up. It didn't take too long for the blonde to notice; almost immediately after feeling the cold air hit his erect organ Sanji looked down and stared questionably at Zoro.

"Something wrong," he asked. Zoro could see the reddened face full of lust and desire, and despite it all there was something else there. Even in this state of yearning Sanji cared enough to ask him if he was ok. Fuck, now he had to do it. He wiped away any trailing saliva from his face and tried to look as dignified as he could, which was challenging since he was hovering inches above Sanji's erection.

"Do you want to go out?" he asked.

Zoro felt his phone go off and knew it was Mihawk calling him. It was Mihawk, but he didn't care as Sanji gave his answer, and the sounds of the phone ringing to him when mute as the two men smiled at each other (for about a second before realizing that Sanji was driving and about to rear-end the car in front of them). Zoro raised himself up and made out with the blonde, letting his hand finish the job, the other grabbing the phone from his back pocket and tossing it to the back seat without looking at it. His eyes closed as he envisioned the ocean, so deep and vast with many parts still left undiscovered. Sanji's removing the hand from the steering wheel and reaching out to him, ready to do his part and satisfy the green haired man, even though what Zoro felt already was past what Sanji could do with hands alone.

1 unheard voice message.

* * *

><p>Comments welcome.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

What was the Truth?

Zoro sat down on the table in front of the Taco Bell, pulled out his phone and checked the time to see how long he would have to wait for Shanks. When he saw that he had only five minutes till the meet-up time he felt heat rush to his forehead, causing small beads of sweat to form. This was the first time he'd be playing the man's game, and knowing very little about Shanks, Zoro couldn't help but feel anxious about this.

Mihawk had left him a message, risking his safety and placing Zoro in an unusual situation. It wasn't often that Zoro would receive this sort of attention, and when he had seen the name appear on his screen he almost didn't believe it. What surprised him even more was the content of the message. Mihawk had asked for his forgiveness. Apparently Shanks eavesdropping on him and Sanji was something Mihawk was not aware of until being informed by the drug dealer himself, and the voice message Zoro had received from the man was a humble apology for interrupting his personal life. Zoro could remember the soft voice filled with pain and regret as he asked Zoro to please forgive him and disregard Shank's attempt to snoop on him, reminding the green haired man that the dealer was only looking out for his best interest, and couldn't help but check out what Zoro was up to since him dumping Mihawk was obviously not in his best interest. The message had hurt him. He hated hearing this side of Mihawk.

He couldn't help but call back, asking to talk with him so that they could end things on a more mature level, rather than leave everything as was. Zoro also made the promise that he would return all personal belongings that belonged to Mihawk back to him; the keys to some of his homes, the clothing he had borrowed, and some of the practice books the man had offered him. Both men knew none of these things really needed to be returned, but they both agreed to the meeting.

He didn't tell Luffy. He couldn't imagine how disappointed the boy would be to hear that he was going to meet with his ex, and although Zoro was pretty sure that Luffy wouldn't say too much against it, he knew the reaction alone would be bad enough. Luffy was proud, believed in him like a brother would. This sort of flip-flopping would only take away the respect Zoro had earned during their friendship.

He didn't tell Sanji. Although they hadn't become an official couple until recently, Zoro didn't see any reason to place the blonde in such a complicated situation. Sanji had walked into this relationship under the assumption that things were settled between him and Mihawk, so bringing up the topic now would risk causing early friction between the two. Sanji didn't even know that he had dated the man, and considering how little Zoro knew about Mihawk, there was little to talk about with raising suspicion.

He didn't tell anyone.

"Zoro?"

He looked up and stared at the smiling figure of the older redhead looking down at him. Shanks wore less than decent clothing, appearing before Zoro as a man of the lower class, not a man of a dangerous business. His plain shite shirt blinded Zoro as the rays of the sun intensified its appearance. Zoro took the intensity of the particular color as a bad omen and frowned, slowly raising his chin up as he looked into the older man's eyes and asked,

"Where's Mihawk?"

Shanks nod his head, not surprised that Zoro noticed the key man for this conversation.

"Does he think I'd be willing to use you as a middleman?" Zoro asked, trying his best to hide the offense he was feeling.

"I'm here to take you to him," Shanks replied, fixing his hair as the wind raced by. "I informed him it would be better that he wait for you, rather than risk getting caught with you."

Zoro scowled. "So I'm still a secret meant to be hidden?"

"Now more than ever, what with you breaking up with him," Shanks replied. Zoro stared, insulted that the drug dealer would dig up that personal information and use it against him. He knew the man was close with Mihawk, but as far as Zoro was concerned the man had no right.

"Don't look so surprised," Shanks remarked. "You can't expect be treated like royalty right now, do you?" He sat himself down next to Zoro, pointing his finger at him while staring at him with a threatening glare. "You have precious information about Mihawk; you're more of a liability than anything else."

"Mihawk told me nothing," Zoro said, moving forward and pushing against Shank's bluff. "Even so, I'd never tell a soul. I have my honor," he looked around the parking lot and sneered. "What about him? Where's he hiding?"

Shanks lowered his hand and smirked.

"Around the corner, waiting for me to give him the sign that it's safe for you two to talk."

"If he's in so much trouble than why bother trying to meet up?" Zoro asked himself aloud. "He's going to be more secretive now than ever.

"You need to understand how much there is to lose," Shanks said. "He's already lost you, no reason to place his business and dealings on the line, right?"

"Dealings?" Zoro asked, eyes going wide with the sudden knowledge that filled his head.

"Why do you think we're so close?" Shanks answered with a laugh.

"So I'm just this liability," Zoro remarked. "Why are we having this conversation then? Why did he even show up?"

"Why do you have a bag of full of things he could have easily bought and replaced?" Shanks asked back. He pulled out his phone and began to text, ignoring Zoro's obvious distress as the young man really began to feel the regret of having chosen this meeting.

What exactly was he supposed to say to Mihawk when they did meet? Asking for forgiveness for breaking up through the phone was a bad way to star a conversation, and he was sure that Mihawk would want to bring something like this up sometime during their meeting. He was also confident that Shanks might have mentioned Sanji to Mihawk at some point.

"Come on," Shanks suddenly spoke. "It's all clear."

"Now?" Zoro asked. He felt nervous, morose than he had previously felt before sitting himself down.

Shanks stood up, stretching his arm before casually loafing around, watching Zoro helplessly sit at the table, mouth closed shut and looking out at the parking lot for some kind of answer.

"Yeah, follow me," he said.

Zoro grabbed the bag full of Mihawk's replaceable, less than personal items and hesitantly followed the redhead, wishing he had never agreed to this meeting. There was really nothing to say, now that he actually thought about it. There was no reason to worry his friends this way, and no reason to stress himself or Mihawk anymore. But Zoro kept moving forward, his legs feeling compelled to keep taking another step, and the rest of his body following along and disobeying his thoughts.

* * *

><p>"I didn't know Shanks was watching you," Mihawk muttered. "It was something mentioned in passing. I didn't think he would feel the need to follow you around."<p>

"Well, he did," Zoro said, staring down at his reflection, produced by an empty white plate.

The restaurant was a first. And it was a nice one too. There was some truth to the solitary state of the restaurant, the lack of lighting that made it difficult to see the description of another customer only feet away, and the overall stiffness brought by the waiters, waitresses, laid out silverware, and Mihawk himself.

But it was still very nice.

"I'm not going to lie," Mihawk continued, "he did tell me you've met someone else." Zoro watched the older man turn his gaze away from Zoro, perhaps to stop himself from going any further and making the already awkward conversation any more uncomfortable.

"That's really none of your business," Zoro remarked, his eyes growing and feeling a bit stunned when he realized what he had just said. Mihawk appeared shocked as well, not expecting such a blunt answer from his past lover.

"You're right," he said. "It's not my business to know, not anymore." He clasped his hands together, letting his elbows relax on the table as he glared possessively at Zoro, wishing the young man were his again. Zoro did what he could to ignore this stare, but found that there was little at the table to become enveloped with.

"I regret giving you so much freedom," he heard the man say.

"Thanks," Zoro muttered sarcastically.

"I have a question," Mihawk said. His voice was clear and menacing. His hands were now cupped together, resting on his lap.

Zoro nodded. "What kind of question?"

"A modest one," the older man answered.

Zoro sighed. This time he was the one to grab hold of himself and rest on the tablecloth, unsure of how to respond. He didn't want to feel bad. He knew offering any sort of kindness to Mihawk would result in that. This was hard enough. But he couldn't refuse the man and let him have his chance to explain himself.

"Go ahead," he finally said.

This was what he wanted. Since he had known the man all he wanted was some sort of explanation. He wanted to know why he couldn't be allowed to call him, why it was always the other way around. He didn't get to know about Mihawk's business, his personal life; it was all a mystery to him.

"When did you realize this wasn't worth pursuing?"

Zoro frowned. He dare not look into the man's eyes, knowing well there was no way he could without risking breaking his own heart.

"I don't think there was a definite moment until you right before you called me," Zoro answered. "But there was a lot of doubt. All the time when I wanted to call you, when you never called to let me how you were doing."

"So it was I for certain?" Mihawk asked. He didn't sound too upset by this revelation.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm not without blame," Zoro responded. He couldn't really think about what there was to blame, other than his possible cheating with Sanji, but then Mihawk had said it was ok…even though he never really meant it…and didn't know about the times after that…shit.

"But my lack of providing the affection you desired did lead to this, correct?" Mihawk continued to pursue the answer he wanted from Zoro, letting through some looks of desperation.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied.

"What about fear?" Mihawk asked.

"Fear?" Zoro looked up.

"About possibly learning about what I might be doing while we were parted?" he asked.

Zoro paled. "That…didn't enter my mind at the time." He sighed through his nose, reminded once more of what shanks had said not too long ago. The things Mihawk had to do…

"And there's no way I could possibly change your opinion?" Mihawk asked.

"Opinion? There's no opinion," Zoro said. "I just know this isn't going to work out." He reached out and began to rub his fingers against the smooth silverware, tying to distract himself from becoming too emotional. He could remember every time they had been together, every touch made, every brief contact bringing forth that hazy silhouette of white sheets and skies. It was amazing that such a man could produce such intense feelings, and that this man was no different than anyone else. Mihawk was flawed. This wasn't a disappointment; just proof that no one was perfect. He wasn't perfect. Green. White. They were all just colors he saw, nothing more.

"So that's why you never called back," Mihawk said with a sigh. He brought a glass of wine to his lips, slowly closing his eyes before taking a small sip. Zoro lifted his head up, catching the older man's last remark.

"Call you?" he asked.

"I called. I texted. You never replied back. And you never showed," Mihawk muttered. He stared cruelly at Zoro. "Now I know why." He let the glass rest on the table and looked off to the side. "Still, it feels so sudden, even with what I know now."

"You called?" Zoro muttered.

Mihawk let his eyes remain locked with Zoro, the answering coming in the form with a stare that was filled with just as much confusion as Zoro.

"And a text," Mihawk said, his voice low. "Something I'm very against doing."

"No," Zoro said. "You never did that."

Mihawk's frown grew all the more as Zoro continued to shake his head. "I called you and left a text," he persisted, "I offered you the knowledge you've been craving since you started asking me questions."

"No…I didn't –"

"I'm not going to play this game with you, Zoro," Mihawk said, closing his eyes shut and speaking heavily. "I know what I did. Don't attempt to shift the entire blame on my part. I made you the offer to know more, and you refused."

"I seriously have no idea what you're talking about," Zoro argued back. He could feel a few onlookers turning their attention on him, but he didn't care. He let his fingernail scrape against the plate as he stared into his reflection, trying to recall a time when Mihawk might have left him a message. He tried to find an instant where he might have been too drunk and may have accidently deleted the number, but nothing came up. He was hardly ever too drunk. He always kept his phone with him. Mihawk had to be wrong.

"I swear I would have never done it this way," he pressed. "I didn't meant to break up with you on the phone." Zoro could see his attempt to reach the older man was not working well. Mihawk looked absolutely unimpressed. He still persisted, " You just called so suddenly, and I had to deal with so much when you decided not to call…"

"I did call," Mihawk growled.

"When did you call me?" Zoro asked. "Give me the date. I'll look it up on my phone."

"This is becoming rather troublesome, Zoro," Mihawk warned. "I'm not going to try to prove myself for you."

"Yeah, and look where that got us," he grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"You always kept things away from me," Zoro said. "And whenever I tried to get you to open up about anything you'd continue to keep secrets."

"For your safety," Mihawk added.

"How am I supposed to feel safe when I'm too busy worried about you?" Zoro asked. "I see the news and I hear about all these people you mentioned getting in trouble and going on the run to avoid prosecution, and it really messes with me because I know you're probably going to have to do the same. But I never do get to know. I don't get to luxury of knowing what you're doing. And it hurts. I hate that you always kept those secrets from me."

"Hmm," Mihawk muttered, lowering his gaze down to the silverware.

"What?"

"Nothing," Mihawk said. "I was just thinking about how nice this all was."

"Nice? You think this was all nice?" Zoro asked.

Mihawk nod. "Understand; until recently I've never heard a real complaint from you since I let you into my life. You'd show your concern, but for the most part as long as I let you have me you seemed more than fine with the unusual setting. I let you sleep around because I knew I'd never be able to catch up to you. I let you have the freedom to take some of my belongings, my fortune, because I knew it would establish some dependency…"

Zoro felt his skin cool. He knew he was getting upset, growing pale from Mihawk's sudden change in attitude. Where was this coming from?

"I knew you would never be a permanent part of my life," Mihawk finally added, "but, to be completely honest, I was hoping I'd have you longer than this. You were passionate. I know it was because of your…condition, you thought I was something fascinating that you needed to posses, but it was…lovely, and I enjoyed the time I had keeping you to myself."

"Why are you saying this now?" Zoro asked.

"Because you wanted to know why I kept so mush from you," Mihawk answered. "And so I'm letting you know now; I never viewed you as a long-term partner. Not until recently. I figured you'd grow up and find someone more appropriate for your age, and you did."

The words stung. Zoro could feel his chest heave with pain from the older man's confession, but there was still that part of him that wanted to continue the conversation, even if it caused him to break down in tears.

"What do you mean "until recently"?" Zoro asked.

"I was astounded that you lasted so long," Mihawk replied. "I mistook your patience for love. I became willing to let you into my world, as you have tried so many times with your own."

"…and you called me…"

"Twice." Mihawk said. "And when you didn't answer I decided to leave a message in hope that you would reply."

"…Mihawk," Zoro muttered.

"What is it?"

"I'm really concerned…I don't think you're lying to me right now," he said.

"I'm not, Zoro, but then there is really no reason for you to believe in me anymore," Mihawk said. "There's no reason to believe in anything I'm saying. Because when it comes right down to it, I have no more reason to tell you any truth."

Zoro could feel his eyes welling up in tears. Mihawk had never treated him this way before. Finally the man was being honest with him, and it hurt.

"Zoro."

"What?"

"I need you to promise me that you'll never speak of this relationship with anyone," Mihawk said. "I need you to understand that this isn't so much for my safety right now, but yours."

Zoro felt his eyes go wide.

"I'm not going to allow you any special privileges," Mihawk said. "If I find out that you're giving away precious information I will have no choice but to take proper action."

"I understand," Zoro whispered.

Zoro felt Mihawk's hand slip underneath his chin, forcing his head up to stare at two golden eyes.

"Don't cry," Mihawk demanded.

"It's hard not to," Zoro confessed. "Stop touching me…."

"You see it?" the older man asked.

"Of course I see it!" Zoro hissed, causing people to once again stare at the couple. "It's there every time we make contact."

"It hurts?"

"Yes," Zoro answered. Mihawk reached out with his other hand to wipe away the tears before they stained Zoro's face.

"It's s strange," Mihawk muttered. "I've never seen you act like this before." His thumbs roughly trailed underneath Zoro's eye, removing the last falling tear from his face. "I forget how young you are. This is all new to you, rejection."

"Fuck off," Zoro groaned, pushing himself back into the seat. "I want to go home."

Mihawk remained still halfway across the table, positioned as though Zoro had never left him. Mihawk sighed, pulling himself up from the seat, earning some attention from the customers that filled the strange, red restaurant. Zoro stared down at his legs, watching Mihawk's shadow cover his body as he waited for a more solid sign of conformation.

"Will you take me back?" he asked.

"You do realize the whole point of us meeting like this?" Mihawk asked.

Zoro looked up, eyes full of fright. "What?"

"We both want this to go on, for as long as possible," Mihawk said. "But obvious I want it more than you." He extended his arm out to Zoro, offering himself as support for the young man. "No, even now I still want you. Even though you rejected me without a given warning. I still want to have you to myself. But…"

"…it would never work out," Zoro said.

"I can think of ways," Mihawk muttered. "I'd actually keep you far more restrained, to never something like this to happen again."

"I don't want to hear this," Zoro said.

"And I never want to see you again," Mihawk bitterly remarked. "We'll have what we want the most very soon."

The two men walked back to the car, Zoro slowly walking behind Mihawk as he tried to process everything he had just heard the man say. He had never felt so confused. He tried to take each moment one step at a time, stopping only when he remembered the obvious remark Mihawk had made several times throughout the conversation.

He made a call.

"Hurry up now," Mihawk warned. Zoro stared at the car door that was left open for him, Mihawk standing impatiently right behind it. Without saying a word he got into the car, pulled his phone out once he was in and stared out the tinted car window as he went through his phones history.

Every call he had made. Every call that he had missed. Every call that was made to him.

Zoro scrolled down the list, carefully watching the names that passed by. He figured Mihawk shouldn't be too far down, assuming he was telling the truth. He had Sanji hadn't been together very long, so the call shouldn't have been that old. He stopped by Mihawk's name and checked the date. It was the break up call.

"You want to go home, right?" he heard Mihawk ask.

"Anywhere close will be fine," Zoro answered.

"Fine…alright," Mihawk replied stoically.

Zoro attempted to scroll further down but was met with shock as Luffy's name came up right after Mihawk's…

…and then nothing.

There was no name after Luffy's. His history stopped after Luffy had called him.

Zoro swallowed thickly, going back to the home page of his phone and then going to his message board. Mihawk had mentioned a text. Zoro stared at the names of people who had recently text him and was fondly surprised to see that Mihawk's name was at the bottom of the page. Without looking at the man, lest he draw attention, Zoro pressed on the name and checked the text history.

He couldn't find the text Mihawk had promised him. The last message was several weeks old, yet Zoro couldn't shake the feel that there was something off about all of this. His history had clearly been edited, what were the chances his messages hadn't been changed as well? He went back to the list of names and checked the name right below Mihawk's. He scrolled down the collection of bubbles until he got to the very bottom.

He had received this text a little less than two weeks ago.

"Fuck," Zoro cried.

Mihawk groaned. "What is it?"

Zoro turned, staring at the man, unsure how to approach this. Mihawk was not a liar, he told himself while cradling his phone. He probably left a message. He probably called. But, for some reason, there is no evidence of these calls. There was, however, evidence that someone has tampered with his phone. But who would do that, and why? Only Luffy knew about them, and Luffy wouldn't do such a thing. No, he couldn't. People like him were trustworthy. You could always count on–

–No, wait? Couldn't he trust Luffy? What did he know? Zoro was teaching himself not to think that way…but he was doing it right now! _Red?_ Red. He trusted the color, not the person. Could he trust Luffy? Luffy never cared much for Mihawk…

"Mihawk?" Zoro said. "Can I see your phone?"

Mihawk must have been watching him because Zoro was awarded the slim, black phone almost instantaneously. He tried not to look grateful when he took it and saw the menu before him, unlocked and ready to be looked through.

He didn't have to look too long.

He felt so strange. It was all very strange. How was he supposed to feel? He broke up with Mihawk because he couldn't handle being left in the dark, and now he knew that Mihawk was one meeting away from letting him know everything he wanted to know. He was unsure if he could trust his closest friend. He was in a brand new relationship with someone he cared about, but didn't bother to tell him he had gone to visit his ex. What would Sanji say right now if he did know? If he just found out?

"Damn it," Zoro muttered. "Stop the car."

"Where will you go?" he heard Mihawk ask. His voice seemed to hold some concern for him.

"I can't go home right now," he responded hastily. "Now's not a good time."

Mihawk didn't say anything, but Zoro didn't have to worry. The car began to slow and turn at the corner, pulling them into a quiet neighborhood. Zoro quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, only to remain seated as soon as his hand reached for the door. He knew he could leave the car, but he hadn't a clue what to do once he did leave Mihawk.

Zoro stared at the phone still resting in his left hand before sighing and placing it in a cup holder. He waited a few seconds, hoping Mihawk would suggest something, but then tugged at the lock, deciding against it once he remembered everything Mihawk had said at the restaurant.

Mihawk wanted him back, and somewhere deep inside him, Zoro knew he was wishing the same.

"Zoro."

Zoro opened the car door and took a step out, making sure he was closer towards freedom before turning his head around and staring at the older man who had done so much for him the past few years.

"What?" he asked, feeling nervous. Who could he trust now? Sanji? Certainly not Luffy since he was the prime suspect.

But what made all this just so unbearable was discovering how wrong he had been the whole time. He had more than enough reason to believe that one of his friends would do this, but it made so little sense because they were his friends. But when he remembered every choice he made, every remark and warning from Nami about how his decision process was biased, it made him worry all the more about whether he could really trust any of his friends.

Mihawk stared back at him with the same expression he had grown so fascinated of: the stoic, almost emotionless look that held everything in and away from everyone else. It used to bring Zoro to a nervous blush, now it upset him more than anything else.

"I hope this person you're with is everything you think you deserve," he said. Though there wasn't a hint that the words were made to hurt, Zoro could help but feel insulted hearing it come from Mihawk.

"Thanks," he muttered, without looking back at Mihawk. He got out of the car and slammed the door behind him, waiting for Mihawk to drive off before finally pulling out his phone and rechecking everything, turning his phone off in hopes that everything was just a mistake, rechecking, rechecking again…

Who could he trust? He lived with Luffy. Luffy had access to all his belongings. The only other option was Sanji, but what did the blonde know about Mihawk?

Zoro frowned when the image of the blonde sunk into his mind. Sanji wanted to date him. He wanted him. Even Sanji. He could have done it as well…

"No," he shook his head. "He wouldn't…"

Zoro walked deeper into the neighborhood, unsure of the direction he was going, but kept going knowing it would be better than to return home suspicious and distressed. Luffy would catch on and he knew there would be a fight. Even if Luffy was completely innocent Zoro couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be a fight.

He closed his eyes and began to breath slowly, trying to remove the worry that had gathered into his lower abdomen. With every step he seemed to grow calmer, allowing himself a better ability to think about everything. Someone other than him had gone through his phone and edited it without permission, and he would need to find out whom it was.

This was a very big deal, but Zoro needed to find a way to handle it in a mature, ordered fashion. He couldn't point a finger, even if he had reason to suspect certain people.

Zoro opened his eyes and turned around, heading back in the direction Mihawk had driven off to.

Mihawk…what would have happened if he had received that message? Would he have gone to Mihawk? Yes. And he would have learned everything he wanted to know. They'd probably have sex. He'd try to stay as long as possible.

Things would have changed. He'd still be with Mihawk, and their relationship would have altered because of everything Mihawk was willing to give to him.

And he'd never ask Sanji out…

Zoro sighed. That's right, he'd never have gone out with Sanji. The blonde would still be vying for his attention, and Zoro would have more reason to push him away.

Zoro tucked his hand into his pocket and felt his phone's warmth press against his fingers. Would staying with Mihawk have been the better option, especially knowing everything that he did now? Sanji had been honest from the start, and though his intentions were less than pure, it was better than learning after so many years what Mihawk had secretly thought.

A bitter smirk formed on Zoro's face. Every dark cloud had some silver lining. Although he no longer had Mihawk, would have to reestablish trust between his friends, at least he was with someone who he could really trust. Sanji never lied to him. He didn't disrespect him.

_Blue._ No.

Fuck everything he saw with colors. Sanji was Sanji. He cared about Sanji, and Sanji cared right back. That's how things were going to be now, Zoro thought, letting his smirk change into a smaller, weaker, but happier smile.


	9. Chapter 9

AN- Sorry about the long wait.

-Broken Vision-

Zoro woke up, got up from the cramped bunk bed, and went out for a light jog. After two hours of running around the neighborhood he managed to find his way back home, where the water heater was ready to reward him with a nice, long, relaxing shower. He stood, soaking his muscles in heated bliss as he counted down the minutes till making an about-face and letting the other side of his body take in the delightful, wet heat.

The coffee was cold as usual, but since Sanji was currently a part of the household he was guaranteed a fresh meal. After pulling his cup from the microwave and giving himself a small sip he walked over and stared at the nice little breakfast waiting to be devoured.

"Usopp says we should go play volleyball at the park!" a chipper voice said from behind. Zoro sat himself down at the table.

"Good morning to you too, Luffy," Zoro replied, smiling as he poked some scrambled egg with a fork. It didn't look like the usual scrambled mess he was accustomed to making. The yellow color was lighter and the eggs were fluffier in appearance.

"He also mentioned something about board games," Sanji quickly added.

"Volleyball's funner!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Trying to keep my hands in shape for work," Zoro heard Sanji mutter. He continued to listen as the blond washed the dishes. "I wouldn't mind a game of football though."

"Football might be nice," Zoro said through his bite of eggs. He then turned his head and watched the two men go about their daily business. Luffy was drying his hair, pacing around the house as he energetically cleaned up the living room, only pausing to go through and help Sanji organize a messy closet in order to find the games.

Neither appeared suspicious, and the more Zoro went and watched them clean and ready up the house before leaving the more Zoro felt bad for even thinking about it. Luffy was not a bad person. Even if he hated Mihawk he certainly wouldn't go behind his back and separate him from his previous lover. Luffy was too pure. He was to Re…he wasn't like that. No, Luffy would have simply said something right in the beginning.

Sanji didn't even know who Mihawk was. While he might gain something from the separation, Zoro couldn't imagine a situation where the young man might have the time to construct such a plan.

"Are you almost done with breakfast?"

"Give me a minute!" Zoro looked down at his plate and began stabbing at the remains of his meal. He wasn't showing it, but he was getting rather anxious from all the paranoia brought on by his and Mihawk's final meeting. He knew someone wasn't telling him the truth, but it was impossible for him to figure out without any evidence to rely on.

He watched a hand move across his view, picking up the now empty plate in front of him and taking it away. He looked up at a concerned Sanji, a blue eye staring right through him as the plate was sent off, the rest of the face quickly following suite.

"You're upset," he heard the blond remark. The sink was activated and the sounds of running water could be heard. Zoro remained silent as he sank a little into his seat. The food was good.

"I'm busy."

"What are you thinking about?" Zoro couldn't see Sanji as a suspect. The young man was too busy trying his best to be a real member of the group. And Sanji was just too nice. There was no way he would do something so cruel.

"I'm thinking about school," he lied.

"You don't have to attend if you're not sure," he heard Sanji reply. The water was turned off. He could hear Luffy move around the hallway, probably to get things ready.

"It's a lot to think about," Zoro said.

"Luffy doesn't want to do it. I don't see why you should feel compelled to do it just because I'm applying," Sanji said to him. He rose up his head and stared up at the smiling blond.

"Ah, but what about the great America dream?" he asked sarcastically.

Sanji chuckled, lowering his head and let his lips hover just above Zoro's. "You and Luffy can work hard being stay at home husbands I guess."

"I'll have to find a wife first."

"Make sure she's making at least six figures."

"Oooh, I don't want to come off as a gold-digger," Zoro said with a small smirk. It had started off as a simple lie, but for some reason Zoro felt himself grow all the more reassured that it couldn't have been Sanji.

The two brought their lips together. It was a small kiss that allowed Zoro the chance to prepare and attempt to push the color away. He felt the soft lips, the warm flesh. There was one hand on his shoulder. It was warm. He could feel a hot tickle race across his face, heat spreading through excited flesh. But he could still see a background shade, the color blue washing across his mind with smooth, soft peaceful waves.

"Come on guys!" Luffy's laughter was heard echoing in the tiny apartment. Sanji lifted his head up. Zoro could see two clear blue eyes looking up at him, the color intensified thanks to perfect shadows. He continued staring up, feeling lost, comforted. He almost forgot that there was something to be suspicious about.

* * *

><p>Sanji plucked a blade of grass and let his long fingers rub and tear against its thin fibers. Kaya sat next to him, sketching in her notepad. Once in a while he looked over and stared at fine interpretations. He closed his eyes and let his arm cover his face from the sun. Despite it being the middle of summer the weather was cool, and clouds seemed to spread across the sky. His arm burned a little. Overall he felt rather calm.<p>

"You're not going to play?" he heard a soft voice say to him.

"Not yet," he remarked. He kept his eyes closed.

Kaya made a small laugh. "You're worried about hurting your hands?"

"A little. But I could always play on Nami's side. She sounds like she's winning."

"She's doing a good job with Zoro on her team."

Sanji peered over, his arms raised just enough to caste a significant shadow. He could see everyone's legs in the sand pit. He could hear Luffy and Usopp making small talk, the occasional taunt as Nami tossed the ball in Zoro's direction. Zoro was fantastic when it came to sports. Today he looked just a little distracted. It wasn't enough for Sanji to worry. He knew Nami and Zoro would be fine.

It almost hurt Sanji to see the Usopp's and Luffy's reaction when the volleyball came flying their way. "They're going to lose so bad…"

"It's more about the fun though," Kaya enthusiastically pushed. "You know, you can hit with your wrists."

"I'm way too competitive for that. Also I don't think Zoro would appreciate me fighting against him," Sanji said with a smirk. He went back to fully covering his face and rested himself back on the blanket.

"You don't think you two could work together?"

"Kaya dear, it's not that simple." Sanji looked over and stared at the fair skinned beauty. "I cannot help but want to show off. In front of him. In front of both you and Nami."

Kaya smiled back. "I have Usopp, you know."

Sanji chuckled. "Lucky him." He raised his head a bit and looked at the notepad, detecting finer shapes that were beginning to resemble his new friends.

"Do you like it?" he heard Kaya asked.

"You're very talented," he said. "Mind if I…?"

Kaya offered him the sketchbook. Sanji sat himself up and stared at the active figures that had been delicately drawn across the large sheet. He looked towards the left corner, spotting Zoro's kneeling pose. In the background were light lines, eventual trees and a faraway hill.

"I can't believe you did all of this," he said.

"It's just a small sketch," Kaya said, "I usually take longer."

"If this is a sketch I cannot wait to see one of your masterpieces," Sanji said with a bit of flirt in his voice. He smiled kindly at Kaya and handed her back the sketchbook. "I wonder if I'll have time to see them."

"You'll be with us for a while? Nami said you'll be taking her room while she's away."

"Ah, I forgot."

Kaya placed the book away in her bag. "You'll have plenty of time to see my works. You know, I drew Zoro once back in high school during his sword competition. Maybe you could take a peek at it."

"A competition?"

"Have you seen his swords?" Kaya asked. "Back in high school he got such great marks he got to compete against a highly skilled swordsman." Kaya looked over at the gang in the distance. Her smile grew a little nervous. "He lost though. Still, I got to draw him during one of his battles. He really liked it."

"That's still pretty impressive," Sanji remarked.

"I'm surprised he hasn't told you," Kaya replied. "It's one of his favorites." She sighed and gave a small shrug in Sanji's direction. "Perhaps he grew out of it…"

Sanji could recall a few memories where he walked outside and noticed his current lover practicing stances with long swords. He even remembered a few conversations about the swords. Zoro certainly enjoyed practicing with them. It seemed strange that he never remarked on the story. Sanji shrugged it off and merely assumed it was pride that kept Zoro silent about the story. Pride had gotten in the way of them getting together, it wouldn't be too surprising if it also got in the way of certain stories. Maybe Zoro would come to tell him about it later.

"…then again, he might not feel comfortable talking about it with the recent news about Mihawk," he hard Kaya finish.

The name struck a sharp cord in Sanji's mind. "Mihawk?"

"Yeah, he was the swordsman. He's very famous."

"Uh-huh, but what about recent news?"

"You haven't heard?" Kaya asked. "Apparently there is some big investigation. Some very famous people were arrested recently."

Sanji thought the name Mihawk sounded familiar. The man was famous for swords, not that he knew a thing about swords. Sanji thought about it and considered that Mihawk may have been known for other things as well. He grew nervous. This Mihawk fellow was someone with money and power, and that was the name that appeared on Zoro's phone number. Was it really connected?

"Are you alright?"

Sanji looked back at Kaya and forced a smile on his face. "I was just thinking about how Zoro might have felt about it," he lied. "I'd be really upset if someone I looked up to was involved in some kind of crime."

He looked over at the volleyball court. As he watched Zoro play he couldn't help but think about the potential connections. He puled out his phone and, while trying to appear inconspicuous, looked up the name Mihawk. He covered the screen with his hand and stared at the first image that came up.

He didn't look like someone who would be interested in swords. Sanji stared some more and found that the overly stoic expression made the man appear like he wouldn't find much interest in anything. It was a harsh, intense stare. If a man like Zoro was going to pick out a lover, would it really be someone so…

"Hey you two," Sanji heard Nami call out. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and looked over to see Nami walking towards him and Kaya. Zoro was far away at the court, talking with Usopp. He took in a deep breath and calmed himself down.

"What is it Nami?" Kaya asked.

"We wanted to know if you wanted to play a game," Nami replied. "If you have the energy for it."

Kaya smiled. "I could probably play a short round today. Just let me get my inhaler."

"What about you?" Nami asked, turning to Sanji. "Thinking about dirtying your hands for a bit?"

"Will Kaya be alright?" he asked. He wondered if his phone had turned off yet.

"Don't worry Sanji," Kaya replied. "It's just a short game."

"And she'll be playing with Zoro and Usopp," Nami added. "They'll help her if she gets tired."

"Alright then. I guess I can try it out," Sanji said. He stood up and dusted off a few dried blades from his clothes, his hand slowing down when it brushed against his pocket. He would need to investigate later. He reminded himself to take a peek after the game, alone.

The three walked down a green slope into old volleyball courts. Sanji stared at the worn out looking net that separated his side from Zoro's. He had played this game a few times before back in middle school, complaining all the way because he was worried his might injure his fingers and ruin his apprenticeship. He wouldn't complain this time though. This was a rare second chance and Sanji understood what it would mean for him. And if Kaya was willing to try the least he could do was pretend to enjoy the risk. He felt a little rush of energy as he thought about potentially hitting the ball, maybe even impressing Zoro with the hit.

"Ok, Sanji," Luffy suddenly said. He blinked and realized that the youth was right in front of him, ball at hand, his other swinging towards it. Sanji stared wide-eyed as he watched Luffy long arm sway back and forth, his hand poised a certain way.

"See how to hit it?" he asked.

"Yeah, "Sanji remarked, his blue eyes following the swaying wrist and hand.

"All you have to do it aim," Luffy said.

"Uh-huh."

"You can use both your wrists too."

"Yeah…"

"Just let me know if you don't think you can hit it," Luffy added. "I can cover you. But don't worry, my team always wins."

"Oh, thank goodness," Sanji sarcastically remarked. His eyes were locked on the ball. Suddenly he was nervous again.

"Ok, loser buys lunch!" Luffy yelled out to everyone.

The game began quicker than he wished. Suddenly Sanji heard his name being called from the side, and no sooner did he react did a ball come flying past him, hitting a pile of sand and causing him to fall back. He heard laughing from the other side of the court. He could feel his face burn red.

"Good job, Kaya."

Sanji's eyes went wide. He pulled himself up and desperately swiped at his clothes, trying to remove the dirty sand. He looked over at the other side and saw Zoro give the girl a pat on the shoulder. How could such a delicate beauty have tossed the ball so fast? The damn thing was like a rocket!

And to add insult to injury, he heard Zoro add, "Just keep aiming for the cook and you'll keep scoring, ok?"

"Really," Sanji yelled. "That's really how you play your games Zoro?"

The green haired man smirked. "Nothing wrong with exploiting another man's weakness."

"What about honor?"

"There is no honor when you have to pay for Luffy's meal," Usopp yelled back.

Another, more sudden thought reentered Sanji's mind. He could see the cold, stoic stare produced by two golden eyes in the back of his mind. He could see Zoro evil, cruel smirk after telling Kaya to aim her hits at his direction. These two men were too unlike each other. The man in the picture did not share the same energy that Zoro did. Zoro was being playful. He was being a tease. The man in the picture…would he really take a partner like Zoro? Would Zoro ever accept a man like Mihawk?

"Sanji, hit!"

He looked up and stared at another ball flying right at him. Frightened, but much more determined, Sanji stumbled forward in the sand and made his swing, It barely hit the ball, but the contact of his upper wrist and hand caused the ball to go back flying, and Sanji falling back down from the surprising sensation. He hat hit the ball. He had hit it wrong, but he _had_ hit the ball. He rubbed his hand as he heard Luffy next to him cheer in his success. But his victory was short lived. The ball went high, too high, and was aimed right in the middle where Kaya currently was. Sanji wasn't sure how it worked. Maybe it was the sun. It was too bright. Or maybe she wasn't feeling well. But Sanji could tell Kaya could not see where the ball would land precisely, and her squint eyes made him and everyone at the court very anxious. Everyone watched, calling her to move, when Zoro ran up and grabbed her, pushed her away from the developing shadow, and pausing as the ball now neared him.

Maybe he saw something, Sanji wondered. He saw colors. Even though his body was full of adrenaline Zoro's brain needed to stop and take the time to process Kaya's color. Sanji didn't know what the color was (Zoro would later tell him the color of creamy, peach yogurt), but it made him stop moving for just a second.

Sanji also didn't know this wasn't the first time this had happened. Years ago, at a tournament, Zoro had beaten all his rivals and was left with the honor to fight against Mihawk. He hadn't received any bodily contact prior to this, he was that good. Mihawk touched him. He froze. He was defeated.

"Oooohhh…."

Sanji winced, along with everyone else on the court, excluding Kaya who cried out.

Zoro fell to his knees, holding his face as he groaned out, a bit out of pain, mostly out of embarrassment. Usopp hurried over and talked to him. Sanji couldn't hear. He panicked and struggled over to the other side, Nami and Luffy following him. He went under the net and carried his weight over to Zoro. The young man was now rubbing his forehead, muttering a few choice words.

Luffy was the first to say something. "Zoro, are you alirght?"

Sanji saw Zoro's eyes peek through the gaps of his fingers, giving the boy a very "what d you think?" look.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Nami asked.

"Zoro, I'm so sorry," Kaya whimpered.

"No, I'm alright," Zoro said. Sanji watched him stumble upright. Zoro removed his hands from his face and stared back at everyone.

Luffy laughed. "You have a big red spot between your eyes!"

Zoro frowned. "I was hit by a ball!"

"Yeah, but you look funny," Luffy replied.

"Luffy, don't laugh," Nami said angrily. She went back to Zoro. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Dumb cook didn't hit too hard," Zoro replied with a pained expression. He looked over at Sanji and added, "I should be fine in a few minutes."

Sanji frowned.

"Don't be upset," Zoro said. "Mistakes happen."

"I wasn't paying much attention," Sanji admitted.

"You're never going to win at that attitude," Zoro weakly replied.

"What if you have a concussion? You should still relax," Kaya muttered. "Just a few minutes."

Zoro sighed. "Kaya. I'm fine."

The girl shook her head. Sanji could see the distress in her eyes. He felt terrible. He knew this was his fault.

"Zoro, maybe you should rest."

"You too?" Zoro rolled his eyes. He heard Kaya sigh and looked back to the girl. He frowned, sighed, and then rubbed his aching forehead.

"Ok, fine. But honestly, it's no big deal guys. I'm fine."

* * *

><p>When the game was over Sanji decided that he would drive Zoro home and let him rest while everyone went to grab lunch. Normally it would be a late lunch at a diner, but everyone promised they'd just pick up and take the food back at Luffy's place. Zoro insisted that he had gotten better, but watching the swordsman rub his forehead a few times since the accident made everyone rather worried. Zoro realized this was not a battle he would win and submitted himself to the will of his friends.<p>

Now he rested on top of the couch, two pillows underneath his head, supporting him in the off chance that something might actually be wrong. Zoro wasn't worried though. He knew he'd be fine. His head just hurt.

Sanji walked up to him and offered him a small ice pack.

Zoro sighed through his nose, not entirely willing to accept the gift. He grabbed it with some force and muttered a low "thanks" before placing it against his forehead.

There it was. He saw the Blue. It was brief this time and faded as soon as he placed the cold pack against his flesh, feeling an instant pain from the iciness.

"Sorry about that."

"Enough," Zoro muttered. The pain was already beginning to ease. He looked up at the somewhat blurry Sanji. He blinked a few times, letting the ice continue to soak through his nerves. "It was not your fault."

"I can't help but feel guilty," Sanji remarked. Zoro felt the blond sit himself down at the edge of couch. He pulled his legs in to give Sanji more space to relax in. "I wasn't paying attention."

"We all fuck up sometimes," Zoro replied.

"Is your vision ok?"

Zoro didn't want to tell Sanji how the ice made his vision blur. He didn't want to remark the first few minutes after the accident caused him to see double. The poor man was already a wreck.

"You know, we get into these sorts of accidents all the time," Zoro replied. "You should get used to them now."

Explains Luffy and Usopp's reaction," he heard Sanji say. Zoro rested himself on the pillows, smiling as he lifted his feet up, stretched his legs out and rested them on Sanji's lap.

The blond stared at the new additions to his lap and asked, "Why did you freeze?"

"Hmm?" Zoro had closed his eyes. He was doing his best to ignore the icy sensation.

"You froze after you pushed Kaya out of the way."

"I…yeah I did, didn't I?" Zoro closed his eyes once more and let the events play out in his head. He had been in a hurry to push her out of harms way. It didn't make much sense for him to just stop. But he did. And he knew exactly why he had. His nerves were busy, waiting for a particular pattern of waves, a spectrum that would mold into one fine color. This was no the first time.

"It freaked me out."

"I'll be ok, Sanji."

Zoro stared up at the ceiling, focusing on the smallest imperfections as he tried to clear his mind. His head still had that dull ache and he figured only sleep would provide him the relief he needed.

"I wasn't paying much attention either," he muttered.

"Hmm?"

Zoro couldn't tell Sanji what he had actually been thinking. He was supposed to keep an eye on o the ball from beginning, but let his mind wander back to the numbers. He wondered who had messed with his phone. He wondered if he had done it himself, but had somehow pushed the memory away. He didn't realize how close the ball was to hitting Kaya until the last second.

"Daydreaming, like you," he replied.

"Oh."

The backs of his legs were warm from Sanji's body heat. The more Zoro thought about it the more impossible it was for him to imagine a scenario where Sanji would betray him and clear his history. While Sanji had pried for knowledge, had flirted and gotten in his way, it wasn't as though anything he had done prior was dishonorable. Persistence had gotten the blond where he was now: the tiny apartment living room. Zoro had no proof. He had no other reason to believe that Luffy would have cleared the history either.

He yawned. "I'm hungry," he muttered.

"They'll probably be back soon," he heard Sanji say. "You should just relax."

"I'm definitely trying," Zoro replied. He did feel tired. "Cook, take the ice pack away."

He didn't hear Sanji remark on the ice pack. He closed his eyes, hand lifted up holding the ice pack until he saw the deep shade of blue cover fill his brain. This time is was darker, reminiscent of a bruise. Clearly a sign of what was to come.

He let his legs spread across the couch, what little space there was for him to stretch his self with. He listened to Sanji moving around the apartment. When he heard the sounds of the footsteps begin to fade he called Sanji out: "Sanji?"

"Yeah?" He was sure his brain was pushing the sounds away.

"Come over here," he called.

He waited a few seconds before the darkening from Sanji's shadow alerted him of his presence. He felt fine fingers touching his own. He could see the blue. It was still darker than normal. He was sure he could even see some black. He felt a strange, growing distance between him and the new color. He knew this was not the shade he had seen with Sanji.

"Come," he muttered. He expressed a little of that fear in his voice. He wanted Sanji to know just enough to feel compelled to come closer.

"There's not a lot of space on that couch."

"I don't care."

He felt the couch lean. Zoro opened his arms, inviting the blond to come in closer. He wrapped his arms around Sanji's thinner frame, his heart temporarily easing as soon as the two made skin contact with one another. The color was normal this time.

"You alright?"

Zoro opened his eyes and stared at Sanji. "I'm just needy."

Sanji smiled. "Well, try to fall asleep soon. It's a little too warm for this."

"You could undress."

"Everyone will be back soon."

He eased his arms, giving Sanji more freedom, but buried his face in the blonde's yellow locks. He let his lips brush against Sanji's forehead.

"Darn."

Sanji chuckled. He laughed when Zoro lowered his head and pecked at warm flesh. He rested his lips against Sanji's Adam's apple, breathing softly until his mind was completely at ease. He listened to the sounds of Sanji's exhales, growing excited when he first heard the fast breathing, becoming calm as each breath grew softer, slower.

He wasn't sure when he fell asleep. When he slept there was no strange dream to remind him of his restfulness.

He woke up when he heard Luffy close the door.

Zoro groaned into a blanket. It hadn't been there before, when he was still with Sanji. Zoro peeled the warm top layer away from him as he looked around the living room. On the table he saw something wrapped up in a bag.

"Oh, you're awake!"

Zoro looked over at Luffy. The boy looked rather pleased, smiling back at him, as thought there had never been an accident. It seemed Luffy was the only one to actually understand what was going on.

"Where is everyone?"

"They just left," Luffy replied.

"How long have I been asleep?" Zoro asked.

"Sanji said you were out for about twenty minutes," Luffy answered. "So we crept around you." He walked over t the table, squatting down and pointing at the bag in front of Zoro. "I got you something," he said. "It's got lots of protein. You'll feel better."

"Thanks," Zoro said. He sat himself up and grabbed the bag. "Did Sanji leave?"

"Yeah," Luffy said. He walked into the kitchen, leaving Zoro to carefully inspect the horror that was ordered for him. "He said you needed the rest. How silly."

"Mhmm," Zoro muttered. He opened up the sub Luffy ordered for him and stared at the many layers of different slices of meat. His heart ached at the sight of it. He stared at the bag and went at it, hoping to pull out a few packets of mayo or mustard.

"Tomorrow we should go something."

"Like what?" Zoro asked. He puled out a few packets and the half-crumbled receipt of his order.

Luffy poked his head out. "We should ride our bikes and get lost somewhere."

"Get lost?" Zoro placed the handful of condiments down. He began tearing at the mayo packet when the numbers of the receipt caught the corner of his eyes. It was not the price that filled him with curiosity.

"It's been a long while. I think we should try visiting somewhere new. I like the rush of a new experience."

Normally Luffy's explanations would compel him to a side. Zoro could not think. He placed the packet down as he brought the receipt up to his face, inspecting the thin white sheet with a pale, expressionless face.

Black. All the words, the numbers and signs, were all a dark, bold black.

Zoro continued to stare blankly at the receipt. He was startled, confused, fascinated. He had never seen so many different letters, words, and sentences, all of them looking the same. He continued to look until he realized his hand was shaking.

How could that be?

"Zoro? What did you think? Should we do it?

Black? No, no, those words should not be black. None of these words were black. His head hurt. That was just it! Zoro rubbed his head a few times, feeling the pain in the middle, right between the eyes.

Things…it would be ok. In a few hours his eyes would readjust. He would see words the way they were supposed to look. He just had to be patient.

* * *

><p>AN- Thank you all for being patient with this story. Now that I'm only working on two stories at a time updates should be more concise. I took the time to reread this story and work out a proper end for it. If anyone seemed out of character please let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts in a PM or review.<p> 


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